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COMPARATIVE    STUE 
IN    RELIGION 

AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  UNITARIAN IS^; 


ICHERS'  EDITION  WITH^HELPER 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


PRESENTED  BY 


PRINCETON  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

BX  9821  .S4  1909a 
Secrist,  Henry  T. 
Comparative  studies  in 
•^el  igion 


This  Book  is  a  part  of  the  Beacon  Series  of  Manuals, 
prepared  for  grades  I-XII,  inclusive,  of  a  Graded  Course 
of  Sunday-School  Lessons,  an  outline  of  which  follows. 
Each  Manual  is  accompanied  by  a  Teacher's  Helper. 

KINDERGARTEN,  AGES   4,  5  * 

Nature  Lessons 

Jesus  in  Story  and  Picture 

GRADE  PRIMARY,  AGES    6-9 

L    First  Book  of  Religion.  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Lane 

IL    Stories  from  the  Old  Testament 

Mrs.  Henry  C.  Parker 
HI.    Stories  from  the  New  Testament 

Oliver  Jay  Fairfield 
IV.    World  Stories.  Joel  H.  Metcalf 

JUNIOR,  AGES    10-13 

V.   The  Bible  and  The  Bible  Country 

Jabez  T.  Sunderland 
VI.    Hebrew  Beginnings 

Old  Testament  Narratives.     Part  I 

Edna  H.  Stebbins 
VII.    Hebrew  History 

Old  Testament  Narratives.     Part  II 

Henry  Hallam  Saunderson 
VIII.   Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Charles  E.  Park 

SENIOR,  AGES    14-17 
IX.    The  Work  of  the  Apostles.    Henry  Hallam  Saunderson 
X.    Movements  and  Men  of  Christian  History 

Charles  T.  Billings 
XI.    Comparative  Studies  in  Religion 

An  Introduction  to  Unitarianism.    Henry  T.  Secrist 
XII.    The  Bible  as  Literature.  John  M.  Wilson 

ADVANCED,  AGES    18-* 

Citizenship  and  Social  Service 
Studies  in  Ethics 
Special  Books  of  the  Bible 
Studies  in  Evolution 
Modern  Religious  Teachers 
The  Philosophy  of  Religion 

*  Material  for  the  Kindergarten  and  Advanced  departments  may  be  obtained  through  the 
Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society. 


(lift  '^tntnn  S^mtB 

A   GRADED  COURSE   OF   STUDY   FOR  THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL 


COMPARATIVE    STUDIES 
IN    RELIGION 

AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  UNITARIANISM 


BY 

HENRY   T.    SECRIST 


UNITARIAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   SOCIETY 
Boston,  25  Beacon  Street;  Chicago,  175  Dearborn  Street 


Copyright  by 

Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society 

1909 


f  I  4 


PREFACE. 


This  book  has  been  prepared  mainly  for  the  use  of  young  men 
and  young  women  who  are  pursuing  a  regular  course  of  re- 
ligious study,  though  it  may  be  found  available  for  general  use. 
Such  should  have  an  acquaintance  with  the  great  religions  of 
the  world:  this  is  given  in  the  first  part  of  the  book.  They 
should  have  a  knowledge  of  the  churches  about  them:  this  is 
given  in  the  second  part.  These  religions  and  sects  are  our 
neighbors  with  whom  we  are  to  live. 

Young  people  should  also  know  their  own  church  and  faith 
well:  this  is  described  in  the  last  part.  For  this  some  history 
of  the  Unitarian  Church  is  given,  in  order  that  one  may  get  his 
bearings  and  appreciate  the  sources  and  the  cost.  Some  plain 
and  positive  statements  of  belief  are  given;  and  then  there  are 
a  few  chapters  devoted  to  the  working  forces  of  the  church.  It 
is  hoped  that  in  this  way  the  young  people  will  be  prepared  for 
appreciative  understanding  and  for  efficient  work  in  their 
church. 

In  the  Teachers'  Edition  suggestions  are  made  for  methods 
of  teaching  and  for  more  extensive  study  by  means  of  the 
larger  works. 

H.  T.  s. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 


X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 


Part  I.— Religions  of  the  World. 

PACK 

Christianity i 

Primitive  Religions 3 

Religions  of  Greece,  Rome,  and  Eg}^pt 5 

The  Hindu  Religion 7 

Buddhism 9 

Zoroastrianism 11 

The  Religion  of  the  Chinese 13 

Mohammedanism 15 

Semitic  Religions     ■    •  17 

Part  II. — The  Sects  of  Christianity. 

Early  Christian  Sects 19 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church 21 

The  Greek  Church      23 

Episcopalians;  Lutherans 25 

Congregationalists;  Presbyterians 27 

Methodists;  Baptists 29 

Friends;  Swedenborgians;  Christians 31 

Some  Other  Sects        3^ 

Universalists;  Unitarians 35 


Part  III. — The  Unitarians. 

Section  I.     History. 

XIX.     Ancient  Connections 37 

XX.     Beginnings  in  America 39- 

XXI.     In  England 41 

XXII.     In  Hungary  and  Other  Countries 43 

XXIII.     Channing  and  his  Time 45 

XXrV.     Emerson  and  Parker 47 

XXV.     Later  Developments 49 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

Section  II.     Belief. 

XXVI.  General  Position •    •  51 

XXVII.  Belief  about  Man 53 

XXVIII.  Belief  about  God 55 

XXIX.  Belief  about  the  World 57 

XXX.  Belief  about  Immortality 59 

XXXI.  Belief  about  Jesus 61 

XXXII.  Belief  about  the  Bible 63 

Section  III.     Organization. 

XXXIII.  Churches 65 

XXXIV.  General  Organizations 67 

XXXV.  Worship 69 

XXXVI.  The  Fruits 71 


PART  ONE. 
Religions  of  the  World. 

Chapter  I. — Christianity. 

The  Greatest  Religion. 

Christianity  is  one  of  the  religions  of  the  world,  and  it  is 
the  greatest.  We  may  claim  that  it  is  the  very  best  religion, 
for  one  reason,  that  it  is  best  for  us,  its  record  is  a  part  of  our 
near  history,  and  its  teaching  is  best  suited  to  our  needs ;  and, 
for  another  reason,  that  it  is  the  religion  of  the  most  progres- 
sive peoples,  is  best  suited  to  the  needs  of  modern  life,  and 
by  comparison  with  others  we  find  it  to  contain  the  most 
truth. 
Its  History. 

Christianity  grew  out  of  Judaism,  and  it  has  many  of  its 
roots  in  the  Hebrew  religion.  The  impulse  toward  a  new 
religion  came  with  Jesus.  He  did  not  himself  try  to  found 
a  religion,  but  his  teachings  and  his  life  were  such  that  a  new 
religion  came  from  him  and  he  is  regarded  as  its  founder. 
Soon  after  his  death,  churches  were  organized,  and  Christian- 
ity took  on  definite  shape  and  became  known  as  a  separate 
religion.  Jesus  bore  the  title,  the  Christ.  The  disciples 
were  called  Christians.  So  came  the  name  Christianit}\ 
Forms. 

There  have  been  many  forms  under  which  Christianity 
appeared.  It  has  taken  influences  from  the  countries  in 
which  it  has  been.  It  has  been  different  at  different  periods. 
At  times  its  history  has  been  marked  by  cruelty  and  bigotry, 
at  other  times  by  freedom  and  brotherhood.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  common  tradition  which  leads  back  to  Christ.  We 
claim  the  right  to  our  interpretation  of  Christianity  and  to  call 
ourselves  Christians. 
Other  Religions. 

Some  kind  of  religion  is  found  among  all  peoples.     A  relig- 
ion  may  be    great    and    may  number    many  believers,  or   it 


may  be  peculiar  to  one  small  tribe.  The  religious  sentiment 
is  recognized  as  universal.  In  some  places  it  is  very  crude, 
in  others  it  is  noble.  Religions  deserve  to  be  measured  by 
their  best. 

We  believe  that  there  is  truth  in  all  religions.  We  do  not 
say  that  all  others  are  false  and  ours  only  is  true.  God  has 
been  revealing  Himself  to  many  peoples  and  in  many  ways. 
Our  Christianity  is  v^illing  to  receive  any  truth  from  any 
source.  It  is,  by  its  nature,  eager  to  receive  and  use  the  good 
which  is  found  anywhere.  Thus  we  have  respect  for  all 
religions  and  show  sympathy  toward  them. 
A  World  Religion. 

Many  religions  are  ethnic;  that  is,  they  belong  to  one  race 
or  nation.  The  religion  of  the  Greeks  is  such.  In  contrast 
with  such  we  call  Christianity  a  world  religion.  It  is  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  has  been  a  missionary  religion. 
Its  believers  have  gone  out  to  all  parts  of  the  earth  to  tell 
about  it  and  to  try  to  make  converts  to  it.  If  no  better  re- 
ligion is  to  appear,  it  is  because  Christianity  is  itself  capable  of 
unlimited  development  and  is  able  to  assume  new  forms  and 
to  receive  new  truth. 
Religion  and  Religions. 

This  idea  of  the  religions  of  the  world  leads  us  to  under- 
stand as  true  the  sentiment,  "Religions  are  many:  religion 
is  one."  It  is  one  religion  everywhere,  and  the  religions  are 
but  different  forms  which  it  takes.  Christianity  has  such  a 
large  share  of  this  common  religion  as  to  make  it  worthy  our 
devotion  to  it.  This  conception  of  religion  should  be  an 
inspiring  one  to  us. 


1.  How  did  Christianity  get  its  name? 

2.  What  is  the  relation  of  Christianity  to  other  religions? 

3.  What  Bible  passages  fit  this  view?     (Malachi  ii.  10;  Acts  xvii.  26-28; 
Romans  ii.  14.) 


Chapter  II. — Primitive  Religions. 

The  Ancicfil  Peoples. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  just  how  religion  began  or  what  was 
the  earliest  form  of  it.  But,  wherever  we  find  any  very  early 
records,  we  find  many  evidences  that  the  earliest  people  had 
some  kind  of  religion.  These  forms  of  religion  were  often 
simple  and  crude,  but  they  show  that  these  peoples  were 
religious  by  nature.  The  objects  of  their  worship  and  the 
ceremonies  they  used  in  worshiping  were  often  of  a  low 
character,  but  the  important  thing  is  that  they  did  worship. 
The  Aryans,  the  ancestors  of  many  people,  who  came  some- 
where from  the  Far  East,  had  a  god  called  Dyaus.  This 
name  came  down  to  later  times,  and  is  preserved  in  the  Greek 
Zeus.  The  Teutonic  people  of  northern  Europe  had  their 
religion,  and  some  of  the  names  of  their  deities  were  carried 
over  and  kept  when  the  people  were  converted  to  Christian- 
ity. Such  is  the  name  of  their  deity  Thor,  which  is  kept 
in  our  Thursday,  and  of  Woden  in  our  Wednesday. 
Savage  Tribes. 

Savage  and  semi-civilized  tribes  exist  to-day  in  Africa  and 
elsewhere,  and  nearly  all,  if  not  entirely  so,  have  a  religion. 
They  show  us  in  some  cases  what  the  nature  of  the  early 
religion  may  have  been;  but  in  other  cases  it  is  plain  that  their 
religion  is  not  as  noble  as  it  was  once,  the  tribes  having  deteri- 
orated. Among  these  tribes  the  worship  is  very  .crude.  Even 
human  sacrifices  are  made.  The  gods  are  idols  of  horrible 
shapes.  Their  religious  sentiment  is  largely  one  of  fear. 
Primitive  Beliefs. 

From  the  great  variety  of  beliefs  among  the  earliest  races 
we  may  select  a  few  as  generally  characteristic.  One  is  fetich- 
ism.  A  fetich  is  an  object,  a  piece  of  wood,  a  stone,  or  almost 
anything,  which  has  seemed  to  harm  or  to  bless.  It  becomes 
sacred,  and  is  set  up  as  an  object  of  worship.  A  spirit  is  sup- 
posed to  work  through  such  an  object.  Any  one  may  have 
a  number  of  fetiches. 

Another    belief    centers    in    nature-worship.    This    is    very 


extensive.  It  is  the  worship  of  a  tree,  a  river,  a  mountain,  a 
beast.  These  are  supposed  to  have  a  living  spirit-  in  them 
which  can  do  harm  or  give  a  favor.  So  they  are  worshiped. 
Naturally  in  practice  the  thought  of  the  worshiper  becomes 
fixed  on  the  object  itself,  and  the  ceremony  is  entirely  empty 
formalism. 

A  prominent  belief  finds  expression  in  the  worship  oj  the 
dead.  Primitive  peoples  believe  in  the  soul  as  a  separate 
thing.  It  simply  goes  out  from  the  body  at  death.  It  is 
seen  sometimes  in  dreams.  It  may  hover  about  the  grave, 
so  offerings  are  left  there.  It  may  need  food,  so  food  is  put 
away  with  the  body.  The  spirits  of  the  dead  thus  take  the 
form  of  deities  to  the  people  and  receive  worship. 

There  is  idolatry,  though  this  is  more  characteristic  of  later 
and  better  forms  of  religion.  An  idol  is  something  which  is 
made  and  worshiped.  It  may  be  ugly  or  it  may  be  beautiful. 
The  American  Indians. 

These  also  have  their  religion,  and  certain  features  of  it  are 
rather  noble.  Before  the  races  of  Indians  who  are  familiar 
to  us,  there  were  peoples  in  the  region  of  Mexico  who  had 
a  highly  developed  ritual  of  religion,  with  evidences  of  many 
sacrifices. 

The  American  Indian  generally  believes  in  a  Great  Spirit. 
It  is  not  easy  to  determine  just  what  this  god  is,  but  it  is  the 
main  deity,  if  not  really  the  only  one.  The  Indian  has  totems. 
These  are  usually  poles  upon  which  some  form  of  beast  is 
carved  which  is  the  sign  of  the  tribe.  This  is  set  up,  and 
becomes  an  object  of  worship.  The  medicine- man  has  a 
sacred  office.     Dances  are  features  of  their  religious  ceremony. 


1.  What  do  primitive  peoples  think  about  the  soul  ? 

2.  What  is  a  fetich  to  us?     Explain  our  use  of  the  word  in  connection 
with  its  origin. 

3.  Do  you  think  these  beliefs  and  practices  of  the  lower  tribes  deserve 
to  be  called  religious? 


Chapter  III. — Religions  of  Greece,  Rome,  and  Egypt. 

Greece. 

The  religion  of  Greece  stands  highest  among  national  relig- 
ions. The  main  characteristic  of  this  religion  was  beauty.  So 
it  expressed  itself  in  its  temples.  It  was  bright  and  happy  in 
its  outward  aspects. 

Many  gods  were  worshiped.  Indeed,  there  was  a  separate 
god  for  almost  every  part  of  nature  and  every  interest  in  life. 
These  gods  are  represented  as  like  human  beings.  They  had 
the  relations  of  the  family.   Their  home  was  on  Mount  Olympus. 

The  chief  of  gods  was  Zeus.  From  him  came  night  and 
day.  He  was  all-seeing.  Life  and  death  were  in  his  hands. 
He  was  the  punisher.  Other  gods  were  Apollo,  Ares,  Hermes; 
and  among  the  goddesses  were  Pallas  Athene  and  Aphro- 
dite. There  was  a  multitude  of  inferior  deities, — Pomona, 
goddess  of  garden  fruits;  Pan,  god  of  the  forest;  Hymen,  god 
of  marriage. 

There  were  also  demigods,  like  Prometheus,  from  whom 
came  the  use  of  fire.  There  were  great  heroes,  like  Heracles, 
who  performed  wonderful  feats  and  became  like  gods. 

These  gods  were  thought  of  difTerently  at  many  periods  of 
the  nation's  histor}-.  They  were  thought  of  differently  by 
various  classes  of  people,  the  poets,  the  philosophers,  and  the 
masses.  Images  of  the  gods  were  made  and  worshiped. 
Doubtless  the  many  did  not  go  beyond  the  image  in  their 
thought,  and  the  image,  or  idol,  became  itself  the  object  of 
worship.  To  others  these  images  were  merely  symbols  of  the 
powers  that  were  unseen.  To  the  many,  doubtless,  the  gods 
were  separate;  but,  in  the  best  conception,  the  various  gods 
were  but  representations  of  the  one  power  back  of  all  things. 
Rome. 

The  religion  of  Rome  was  very  similar  in  outward  aspects 
to  that  of  Greece.  But  the  characteristic  of  the  Roman  people 
was  a  respect  for  law,  and  that  applies  to  the  religion.  The 
deities  of  Rome  were  generally  serious,  and  never  as  light- 
hearted  as  were  the  Greek  gods. 


The  number  and  function  of  the  Roman  deities  were  about 
the  same  as  with  the  Greeks.  The  names  change,  and  the 
Roman  names  are  the  ones  by  which  we  more  commonly  know 
them.  Jupiter  is  the  chief  god.  Mars  (Greek  Ares)  is  the 
god  of  war.  Venus  (Greek  Aphrodite)  is  the  goddess  of  beauty. 
Hercules,  not  Heracles,  becomes  the  name  of  the  hero.  There 
were  very  many  gods  and  goddesses,  and  statues  were  every- 
where to  be  found.  Great  men,  and  commonly  the  emperors, 
were  deified. 

Among  the  interesting  customs  of  the  Roman  religion  was 
that  of  the  sacred  fire,  guarded  by  the  vestal  virgins.     There 
were  also  household  gods,  the  Lares  and  Penates,  which  pro- 
tected the  household. 
Egypt. 

One  of  the  earliest  civilizations  was  in  Egypt,  and  here  was 
developed  an  elaborate  religion  which  has  some  noble  feat- 
ures. The  characteristic  of  the  religion  was  mystery.  While 
the  Greek  temple  was  light,  the  Egyptian  was  dark.  It  was 
mainly  the  mystery  of  life  and  death  which  impressed  itself 
upon  the  Egyptians,  and  it  found  expression  in  the  outward 
forms  of  their  religion.     There  were  many  gods. 

The  most  noted  of  the  gods  perhaps  was  Ra,  a  kind  of  sun 
deity,  and  particularly  Osiris,  the  personification  of  physical 
and  moral  good.  Isis  was  a  beautiful  goddess,  the  wife  of 
Osiris.  Apis  was  a  beast  god,  represented  by  the  sacred  bull. 
Various  other  animals  were  held  sacred,  such  as  the  eel  and 
crocodile. 

There  was  early  a  belief  in  immortality.  The  physical  body 
was  thought  to  have  some  share  in  this,  as  is  shown  by  the 
custom  of  embalming  the  bodies.  The  ancient  "Book  of  the 
Dead"  has  some  noble  sentiments  about  death. 


1.  What  is  the  main  characteristic  of  each  of  the  three  religions? 

2.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  people's  action  as  described  in  Acts  xiv. 
11-18? 

3.  What  do  you  think  of  idol  worship? 


Chapter  IV. — The  Hindu  Religion. 
India. 

This  country  is  the  home  of  the  Hindus.  It  has  had  an 
important  religious  histor}'.  Here  religion  may  be  traced  far 
back,  and  remnants  of  early  customs  remain  in  remote  places. 
Here  the  religion  knowTi  as  Brahmanism  had  its  home.  Here 
Buddhism  arose,  but  was  later  driven  out.  Now  Mohamme- 
danism has  a  large  following  among  the  Hindus.  Jainism 
exists.  There  are  many  converts  to  Christianity. 
Sacred  Books. 

These  are  called  Vedas.  They  are  written  in  the  Sanskrit 
language.  The  oldest  is  the  Rig- Veda,  composed  about  1500 
or  1000  B.C.  These  books  are  made  up  of  hymns  of  praise 
and  prayer,  of  ritual,  and  of  doctrinal  statements.  Some  of 
the  hymns  are  beautiful  in  sentiment. 
The  Gods. 

Almost  innumerable  gods  are  found  in  Hinduism.  The 
chief  early  god  seems  to  have  been  Varuna,  who  represented 
the  sky.  Indra  is  the  rain  god,  and  is  also  regarded  as  the  god 
of  battles.  Agni  is  the  god  of  fire.  In  more  recent  times  wor- 
ship has  been  given  mainly  to  Vishnu,  the  preserver  of  the 
universe.  Krishna  is  a  representation  of  Vishnu,  and  is  ven- 
erated by  the  lower  orders  of  the  people.  Siva,  the  destroyer, 
is  also  worshiped  widely. 
Brahmanism. 

The  Brahmans  were  the  highest  caste  of  the  people,  and  they 
performed  the  sacred  rites.  They  were  thought  to  have  been 
specially  created  by  the  deity.  This  deity  was  Brahma.  He 
was  the  universal  being.  He  was  not  worshiped  directly, 
but  in  the  form  mentioned  as  gods. 
Sacred  Objects. 

The  Hindus  consider  all  living  things  sacred.  So  no  flesh  is 
eaten  by  them.  It  is  considered  sacrilege  to  kill  an  animal 
or  even  an  insect.  The  river  Ganges  is  sacred,  and  to  bathe 
in  it  is  regarded  an  act  of  worship.  The  monkey  is  much 
revered.  Among  the  many  sacred  spots  is  Benares,  regarded 
as  a  holy  city. 


8 

The  Worship. 

The  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  Oriental  person  is  that 
he  is  meditative.  His  religion  is  one  of  meditation  rather  than 
of  action.  There  are,  however,  many  forms  and  ceremonies. 
The  priests  receive  the  gifts  at  the  temples,  and  take  care  of 
the  image  of  the  god  found  in  the  temple.  They  recite  texts 
in  Sanskrit.  Many  feast  days  are  observed. 
Transmigration  of  Souls. 

This  has  been  one  of  the  peculiar  ideas  of  the  Hindus.  The 
souls  that  go  out  from  human  bodies  take  form  in  other  bodies, 
appearing  in  animals,  and  changing  according  to  desert  from 
lower  to  higher  or  higher  to  lower  forms.  The  doctrine  varies 
much  in  the  way  it  is  understood,  but  this  is  the  main  idea. 
Reverence  for  animals  comes  from  this  idea. 
Jainism. 

This  religion  grew  up  after  Buddhism  was  driven  out.  The 
Jains  have  many  beautiful  temples.  They  believe  that  ani- 
mals have  souls,  and  they  show  marked  kindness  toward 
them.  They  deny  the  infallibility  of  the  Vedas,  and  are  in 
some  respects  modern  in  their  customs  and  beliefs. 
The  Brahmo  Somaj. 

This  is  a  development  of  Hindu  religion  which  has  been  influ- 
enced by  its  contact  with  Christianity.  But  it  does  not  claim 
to  be  Christian.  It  began  with  Ram  Mohun  Roy  in  1833, 
and  was  set  forth  mainly  later  by  Keshub  Chunder  Sen.  One 
of  its  recent  leaders  was  Mozoomdar.  Brahmo  is  the  name 
for  God,  and  Somaj  is  society  or  church.  These  people  be- 
lieve in  one  God  of  goodness,  think  that  inspiration  is  universal, 
and  they  work  in  practical  ways  for  charity  and  reform,  being 
akin  to  the  liberal  branch  of  Christianity. 


1.  What  are  the  sacred  books  of  the  Hindus? 

2.  Why  are  Hindus  so  kind  to  animals? 

3.  From  what  does  the  Brahmo  Somaj  come? 


Chapter  V. — Buddhism. 
Where. 

Buddhism  is  found  mostly  in  Oriental  countries.  It  began 
in  India,  but  now  exists  mainly  in  Ceylon,  Siam,  Thibet,  and 
Japan.  It  differs  in  these  various  regions.  The  southern 
forms  are  thought  to  be  more  like  the  original  than  the  north- 
ern. There  are  multitudes  of  believers  in  Buddhism. 
Buddha. 

The  religion  takes  its  name  from  its  founder.  He  lived  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  sixth  century  B.C.  He  was  a  young  prince 
whose  name  was  Siddartha.  Connecting  him  with  the  Sakya 
race  was  his  name,  Sakya-muni.  He  was  married  to  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  king,  and  was  surrounded  by  every  luxury.  But  he 
saw  much  evil  and  suffering  around  him,  and  he  wanted  to 
find  out  what  it  all  meant.  So  he  made  the  "Great  Renun- 
ciation." 

He  forsook  all  the  pleasures  of  his  home,  and  went  out  in 
search  of  the  truth.  Many  strange  stories  are  told  of  his  ad- 
ventures. At  last,  after  much  seeking  and  long  meditation,  he 
found  what  he  thought  the  complete  truth.  He  attained  en- 
lightenment, and  became  the  Buddha,  a  name  meaning  the 
enlightened  one.  He  was  sometimes  called  also  Gautama,  a 
name  which  has  a  priestly  meaning.  He  lived  to  be  about 
eighty  years  old.  The  character  of  Buddha  was  noble. 
The  Religion. 

When  Buddha  found  the  truth  and  set  out  to  teach  it  to 
the  world,  there  was  only  one  person  with  him.  The  teaching 
differed  much  from  the  prevailing  religion,  Brahmanism.  So 
Buddhism  has  been  called  the  Protestantism  of  the  Hindu 
people.  Soon  converts  were  made,  and  the  number  of  believ- 
ers grew  rapidly. 
A  God. 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  there  is  no  deity  in  Buddhism, 
But  Buddha  became  himself  a  deity  to  his  followers,  and  was 
worshiped.     There  are  many  images  of  him  as  a  god. 
Beliejs. 

Ceremonies  were  considered   powerless   to  bring  peace  of 


mind.     Such  could  come  only  by  the  culture  of  the  soul,  the 
extinction  of  anger  and  illusion,  and  the  manifestation  of  love. 

When  a  person  dies,  he  is  born  again.  This  is  an  evil.  To 
get  rid  of  being  born  again  is  the  aim  of  the  Buddhist.  Only 
by  becoming  so  virtuous  and  holy  that  he  need  not  come  back 
for  discipline  will  one  escape  the  sorrow  which  belongs  to  ex- 
istence. 

There  is  a  law  of  retribution  which  is  sure  in  its  working, — 
punishment  for  sin  and  reward  for  virtue.  This  law  is  called 
Karma. 

Nirvana  is  the  Buddhist  heaven.  To  reach  it  is  tiie  aim. 
When  the  believer  reaches  such  an  exalted  state  that  he  does 
not  need  to  go  back  to  the  earth,  he  passes  out  of  personal 
existence,  and  enters  Nirvana.  Some  think  this  complete  an- 
nihilation, though  there  are  different  teachings  about  it. 
Sacred  Books. 

Buddha  left  no  writings.     His  disciples  learned  the  teachings 
from  him,  and  handed  them  on  to  others  until  they  were  finally 
preserved   m   written   form,    and   became   the  sacred   books. 
These  are  called  Pitakas. 
Customs. 

There  is  no  caste  among  Buddhists.  There  are  temples 
in  which  images  of  Buddha  are  found,  where  worship  is  paid 
mainly  by  giving  offerings  and  by  meditation.  There  are 
monasteries  for  Buddhist  monks.  In  later  Buddhism,  espe- 
cially in  Thibet,  many  ceremonies  have  grown  up.  Buddhists 
are  earnest  teachers  of  their  faith. 


1.  What  similarity  between  the  names  Buddha  and    Buddhism   and 
Christ  and  Christianity? 

2.  What  stories  in  the  New  Testament  resemble  Buddhist  stories? 
Angels  sang  at  Buddha's  birth.     Compare  Luke  ii.  13. 
Buddha  had  a  temptation.     Compare  Matthew  iv.  i-ii. 

3.  What  is  Nirvana? 


Chapter  VI. — Zoroastrianism. 
The  Parsis. 

This  religion  is  held  now  by  the  Parsis,  most  of  whom  arc 
in  India  and  a  few  in   Persia.     It   was,  however,  the  ancient 
national  religion  of  Persia,  and  held  a  place  of  much  impor- 
tance. 
Zoroaster. 

It  is  a  personal  religion ;  that  is,  there  was  a  person  who  was 
looked  to  as  its  founder.  This  was  Zoroaster.  It  is  not  sure 
just  when  he  lived,  but  the  time  was  about  the  tenth  century 
B.C.  The  religion  was  prominent  when  Cyrus  ruled  over 
Persia  in  the  sixth  century  B.C.  Not  much  is  known  about  the 
life  of  Zoroaster.  He  was  a  religious  teacher  of  a  noble  type. 
He  is  said  to  have  passed  through  a  temptation,  and  many 
legends  have  grown  up  around  his  birth.  For  ten  years  after 
he  began  to  teach  he  had  but  one  convert.  Then  he  converted 
a  prominent  ruler,  and  the  religion  spread.  It  is  recorded 
that  he  healed  a  blind  man. 
Sacred  Book. 

The  sacred  writings  are  brought  together  in  one  book,  called 
the  Avesta.  It  is  sometimes  called  the  Zend-Avesta,  the  word 
"Zend"  referring  to  the  language,  which  is  akin  to  Sanskrit. 
The  book  is  made  up  of  psalms  and  of  laws.  The  oldest  part 
is  said  to  contain  the  sayings  of  the  great  teacher  himself. 
Beliejs. 

The  chief  feature  of  the  belief  is  the  conflict  between  good 
and  evil.  This  conflict  is  always  going  on.  When  the  future 
is  looked  forward  to,  however,  it  is  believed  that  finally  the 
good  will  be  victorious. 

There  are  two  main  deities.  Ahura  Mazda  is  the  god  of 
goodness.  In  the  later  forms  of  the  religion  he  is  called  Or- 
muzd.  He  is  the  god  of  light.  The  god  of  evil  is  Angra 
Mainyus.  He  is  later  called  Ahriman.  He  is  the  god  of 
darkness.  There  were  other  divine  beings,  mostly  in  the 
form  of  angels  or  spirits.  Divinity  was  attached  to  objects 
of  nature,  such  as  stars  and  trees.  In  later  times  also  Mithra 
was  worshiped,  sharing  the  divine  honors  with  Mazda.     Mith- 


raism  developed  an  elaborate  ritual,  and  there  were  connected 
with  it  many  ceremonial  mysteries.     The  ancient  religion  is 
often  called  Mazdeism,  from  the  deity  Mazda. 
The  Sacred  Fire. 

The  Parsis  are  often  thought  to  be  fire-worshipers.  They 
have  great  regard  for  fire,  and  perform  rites  before  it.  But 
the  fire  is  regarded  by  them  merely  as  a  symbol  of  deity,  a 
visible  representation  of  an  unseen  power.  It  occupies  much 
the  same  place  that  the  image  of  deity  has  in  some  other  relig- 
ions. The  sacred  fire  is  always  kept  burning. 
Immortality. 

There  is  a  clear  belief  that  men  live  on  after  death.  The 
soul  after  death  remains  three  nights,  and  then  passes  on  to 
a  bridge  which  leads  to  the  abode  of  spirits.  Here  men's 
deeds  are  weighed,  and  judgment  is  given.  Those  who  are 
worthy  pass  on  to  paradise,  and  those  unworthy  go  into  hell, 
there  to  remain  until  the  struggle  between  good  and  evil  is 
ended,  when  all  are  admitted  to  eternal  blessedness. 
Influence. 

The  conflict  of  good  and  evil  is  found  very  generally  among 
all  peoples,  but  is  nowhere  so  pronounced  as  here.  Doubt- 
less the  Jewish  religion  was  influenced  in  its  later  history  by 
its  contact  with  Persian  beliefs  and  customs.  The  belief  in 
angels  was  not  received  from  the  Persians,  but  it  was  increased 
by  acquaintance  with  them.  So  also  the  belief  in  good  and 
evil  spirits  and  in  paradise  and  hell. 

Educated  Parsis  have  in  recent  times  gone  back  to  the  old 
religion,  and  have  taught  it  in  a  modified  form.  They  insist 
on  purity  of  thought  and  deed,  and  have  some  beliefs  which 
make  for  progress. 


1.  In  what  ways  is  the  Avesta  like  the  Bible? 

2.  What  is  the  chief  belief  in  Zoroastrianism ? 

3.  What  is  a  fire-worshiper? 


Chapter  F//.— The  Religion  of  the  Chinese. 

The  Ancient  Religion. 

A  very  old  form  of  religion  is  shown  in  the  sacred  books  of 
the  Chinese,  a  religion  without  any  specific  name,  but  existing 
before  Confucianism,  which  is  now  the  main  religion  of  the 
Chinese.  These  books  are  five  in  number,  and  are  called 
Kings, — the  Yih  King,  the  book  of  changes;  the  Shu  King, 
history;  the  Shi  King,  odes;  the  Le  Ke  King,  ceremonies; 
and  the  Chun  Tseu,  annals.  They  are  of  great  antiquity. 
In  the  ancient  times  there  seems  to  have  been  mainly  a  belief 
in  one  god,  Shang-te,  who  was  ruler  of  earth  and  heaven,  of 
nations,  and  of  persons.  But  the  idea  is  not  distinct. 
Conjucius. 

Confucianism,  the  state  religion  of  the  Chinese,  came  from 
Confucius,  who  was  born  551  B.C.  He  has  impressed  himself 
upon  his  countrymen  as  few  men  in  history  have  done.  He 
was  Kung-fu-tse.  As  a  boy,  he  was  studious  and  exemplary. 
He  was  married  early,  and  had  one  son.  He  held  several  gov- 
ernment appomtments,  such  as  keeper  of  stores  and  grains. 
He  was  once  minister  of  crime,  and  wonderful  results  followed 
his  wise  administration.  When  he  was  without  office,  he  went 
about  studying  the  condition  of  the  people,  teaching  and  gath- 
ering disciples.  He  was  without  favor  with  the  authorities 
for  a  time,  and  was  practically  an  exile  from  his  province. 
But  he  was  at  last  allowed  to  return.  He  spent  his  last  years 
in  editing  the  old  sacred  books.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two.  It  was  said  that  he  had  then  three  thousand  disciples. 
He  was  a  scholar,  a  statesman,  a  philosopher,  and  a  sage. 
The  Teachings. 

The  teachings  of  Confucius  apply  largely  to  the  regulation 
of  the  affairs  of  the  state  and  of  personal  and  family  life.  He 
taught  the  Golden  Rule,  expressed  by  him  in  its  negative 
form,  "What  you  do  not  wish  done  to  yourself,  do  not  to 
others."  He  gave  prominence  to  respect  for  parents  and  to 
filial  piety.  Benevolence,  loyalty,  truthfulness,  justice,  were 
insisted  upon.     His  teaching  about  deity  is  not  very  plain. 


14 

He  seems  to  have  regarded  the  deity  as  heaven,  and  to  have 

received  much  help  from  his  dependence  upon  the  unseen 

power. 

Worship  0}  Ancestors. 

In  Confucianism  and  in  all  forms  of  the  religion  of  the  Chi- 
nese, as  in  Shintoism,  the  native  religion  of  the  Japanese,  the 
worship  of  the  dead  is  prominent.  It  is  something  more  than 
hero-worship.  The  living  thus  gain  communion  with  the 
spirits  of  the  dead,  and  these  spirits  watch  over  those  who 
are  living  on  the  earth.  These  ancestors  are  represented  by- 
tablets,  and  offerings  are  made  before  these.  The  result  of 
such  belief  and  worship  is  a  profound  respect  for  the  ances- 
tors of  the  race,  for  patriots,  and  for  the  dead  generally.  It 
has,  however,  worked  against  the  progress  of  the  people  by 
keeping  out  ideas  and  customs  of  other  people. 
Taouism. 

A  form  of  religion  legalized  among  the  Chinese  and  having 
many  adherents  is  that  which  originated  with  Laou-tsze,  the 
philosopher.  He  was  born  fifty  years  before  Confucius.  It 
was  a  mystical  religion  at  first,  but  finally  degenerated  into 
a  system  of  magic  and  astrology.  It  was  put  forth  to  oppose 
Buddhism  when  that  was  introduced  into  China,  but  Buddh- 
ism has  maintained  a  rather  strong  position  there. 
Mencius. 

This  was  a  noted  Chinese  thinker  who  expounded  the  doc- 
trines of  Confucius. 


1.  What  did  Confucius  do? 

2.  What  is  the  negative  and  what  the  positive  form  of  the  Golden  Rule? 

See  Matthew  vii.  12. 

3.  What  are  the  results  of  ancestor  worship? 


Chapter  VIII. — Mohammedanism. 

Mohammed. 

The  founder  and  prophet  of  this  reh'gion  belonged  to  an 
Arabian  tribe,  and  was  born  at  Mecca,  570  a.d.  His  parents 
were  poor,  and  he  was  early  left  an  orphan.  His  uncle  took 
care  of  him,  and  trained  him  for  a  commercial  life.  He  mar- 
ried the  woman  whose  agent  he  was.  Later  he  married  again, 
polygamy  being  tolerated  in  his  religion, 

Mohammed  was  a  meditative  youth.  He  often  went  out  to 
a  cave,  and  thought  about  the  low  condition  of  the  people  in 
vice  and  idolatry.  Here  he  had  a  vision  in  which  the  angel 
Gabriel  appeared  and  held  a  silk  scroll  before  him,  and  made 
him  recite  what  was  written  upon  it.  Other  revelations  fol- 
lowed until  Mohammed  regarded  himself  a  prophet  of  God. 
At  forty  years  of  age  he  began  to  teach.  His  first  converts  were 
in  his  own  family,  one  especially,  Abu  Bekr,  a  man  of  influence. 
The  Hejira. 

He  had  little  success  among  the  people  about  him,  and  in- 
curred their  hatred.  So  he  fled,  accompanied  by  Abu  Bekr, 
from  Mecca  to  Medina  in  622  a.d.  This  flight  is  the  Hejira, 
and  is  the  beginning  of  the  Mohammedan  era.  He  was  more 
successful  now.  Abandoning  the  peaceful  methods  of  teach- 
ing, he  and  his  followers  took  the  sword  and  captured  Mecca. 
He  died  at  Medina  in  632. 
The  Religion. 

Mohammedanism  is  called  by  the  believers  in  it  Islam, 
which  means  surrender, — surrender  to  the  will  of  God.  It  is 
the  religion  of  the  Turks  and  Arabians,  of  many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants in  Africa,  and  it  has  many  adherents  in  India,  China, 
and  elsewhere.  The  religion  does  not  make  its  way  among 
progressive  peoples. 
The  Koran. 

This  is  the  sacred  book.  It  contains  the  revelations  sup- 
posed to  have  been  made  by  God  to  Mohammed,  the  prophet. 
The  book  is  divided  into  one  hundred  and  fourteen  suras,  or 
chapters.    It  is  considered  infallible,  and  even  the  syllables  are 


i6 

thought  to  be  inspired.     It  is  the  one  book  which  is  studied 

by  young  and  old. 

Beliefs. 

The  common  formula  is  this:  "There  is  no  God  but  Allah, 
and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet."  That  sums  up  the  religion. 
It  is  a  strict  monotheism.  Allah  is  the  one  name  of  the  supreme 
being.  There  is  a  belief  in  angels  and  in  a  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  Mohammedans  believe  that  God  foreordained  every- 
thing just  as  it  comes  to  pass,  and  this  belief  has  led  them  to 
fatalism.  Other  prophets  are  recognized,  and  the  Old  Testa- 
ment heroes  are  accepted.  Even  Jesus  is  believed  in  as  a 
prophet.  But  Mohammed  is  the  last  and  the  great  prophet. 
Idols  are  denounced,  and  no  forms  or  pictures  of  the  deity  are 
permitted. 
Customs. 

Prayer  is  demanded  of  all  followers.  The  true  believer  is 
expected  to  pray  four  times  a  day.  The  places  of  worship  are 
called  mosques,  and  are  often  very  beautiful.  On  these  are 
towers  from  which  the  muezzin  calls  the  faithful  to  their  prayers. 
In  prayer  the  face  is  always  turned  toward  the  holy  city,  Mecca. 
Friday  is  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath,  when  there  are  prayers 
in  the  mosque,  reading  of  the  Koran,  and  a  sermon. 
Babism. 

Mohammedanism  changes  little.  However,  there  has  been 
an  attempt  made  to  purify  and  improve  it.  This  effort  began 
in  Persia  in  1843.  A  new  prophet  was  admitted,  Mirza  Ali 
Kahn.  He  was  the  leader,  and  called  himself  the  Bab,  or 
gate.  Through  him  it  was  believed  a  man  would  gain  access 
to  God.  It  was  a  kind  of  vague  mysticism,  but  it  made  some 
valuable  reforms.  The  Persians  checked  the  movement,  and 
put  the  Bab  to  death.     Some  believers  still  exist. 


1.  What  is  the  main  sentence  in  Mohammedanism? 

2.  What  is  the  present  year  in  the  Mohammedan  calendar? 

3.  What  are  the  effects  of  fatalism  ? 


Chapter  IX. — Semitic  Religions. 
Judaism. 

Judaism,  the  religion  of  the  Hebrews,  has  been  one  of  the 
great  religions  of  the  world.  It  produced  the  literature  found 
in  the  Old  Testament.  The  leaders  and  prophets  found  there 
are  its  product.  It  developed  early  a  belief  in  one  God,  and 
grew  to  connect  the  qualities  of  righteousness  and  mercy  with 
its  one  deity,  Jahweh.  It  originated  laws  which  have  had  a 
strong  influence  among  Western  nations. 

Its  best  features,  Christians  believe,  were  carried  over  into 
Christianity.  Jesus,  the  founder  of  Christianity,  came  of  the 
Hebrew  race  and  religion.  We  do  not  follow  it  further  here 
because  we  have  studied  it  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  shall 
follow  it  over  into  our  own  religion.  However,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  many  Jews  never  became  Christians.  The 
dividing  line  remains  unbroken  down  to  modern  Judaism. 
The  Jews  were  scattered  from  their  holy  land,  and  they  settled 
among  many  different  nations.  Here,  sometimes  under  perse- 
cution, they  have  maintained  their  worship  and  their  customs. 
The  orthodox  are  strict  in  the  observance  of  the  old  rites,  but 
many  Jews  have  become  liberal  in  their  beliefs.  There  have 
been  noble  minds  among  the  Jews  who  have  remained  loyal  to 
their  religion. 
Babylonians  and  Assyria^is. 

These  were  very  ancient  peoples.  Generally,  we  knew  their 
doings  only  by  what  was  said  about  them  in  the  Old  Testament. 
And  such  was  the  report  of  their  enemies.  In  recent  years,  by 
researches  in  the  ruins  of  the  region  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates 
rivers,  men  have  found  out  more  about  these  wonderful  people. 
Their  own  books,  clay  tablets  and  the  like,  have  been  found 
which  give  records  of  their  ideas  and  customs.  Some  of  these 
go  back  to  very  early  periods,  as  far  as  4500  B.C.,  and  possibly 
farther.  Here  is  shown  an  important  civilization  existing  long 
before  the  Hebrew  people  came  into  prominence.  And  later, 
during  the  exile,  the  Hebrew  people  came  into  close  contact 
with  the  descendants  of  this  very  ancient  civilization  and 
religion. 


i8 

Their  Gods. 

The  religion  was  much  the  same  in  Assyria  and  Babylonia. 
The  chief  god  in  Assyria  was  Assur,  and  there  were  many  gods. 
At  Babylon  the  people  worshiped  mainly  the  god  Marduk, 
The  chief  of  gods  generally  was  one  by  the  name  of  Bel,  the 
lord.  This  god  was  the  ancestor  of  Baal,  a  god  of  the  Pheni- 
cians  and- others  referred  to  in  the  Old  Testament.  There 
were  many  minor  deities,  among  them  Dagan,  generally  identi- 
fied with  the  Phenician  Dagon.  There  were  still  other  subordi- 
nate divine  beings  in  the  form  of  animals  with  human  heads. 
The  most  important  of  these  were  the  angels  in  the  form  of 
winged  bulls  of  colossal  size,  which  guarded  the  entrances  to 
the  temple. 
Their  Records. 

Among  the  interesting  accounts  found  in  the  books  that  have 
been  discovered  is  one  of  the  creation  of  the  world.  There  is 
also  an  extensive  account  of  a  flood,  which  has  close  resem- 
blances to  the  account  of  the  flood  in  the  Bible.  Beautiful 
palaces  and  temples  have  been  discovered.  While  there  are 
many  crude  religious  beliefs  and  practices  shown,  one  is  im- 
pressed with  the  high  attainment  which  these  ancient  people 
made. 
Hammurabi. 

As  a  result  of  the  excavations  on  Babylonian  soil,  much  has 
been  made  known  about  this  remarkable  man  and  ruler.  He 
lived  about  2250  e.g.,  about  fifteen  hundred  years  before 
Solomon.  He  established  a  wonderful  system  of  laws,  and  the 
people  under  him  were  prosperous  and  enlightened. 


1.  What  is  Judaism's  special    contribution  to  the    religious  belief  of 
the  world? 

2.  If  the  Chaldean  and  the  Hebrew  stories  of  the  flood  resemble  each 
other,  what  of  it? 

3.  What  is  the  value  of  excavating  ancient  cities? 


PART   TWO. 
The  Sects   of   Christianity. 

Chapter  X. — Early  Christian  Sects. 
Divisions. 

In  the  world  of  Christendom  to-day  there  exist  many  divi- 
sions among  the  people  who  call  themselves  Christian.  Some 
deny  that  others  are  Christian,  and  claim  for  themselves  only 
the  right  to  the  name.  The  more  tolerant  view  is  to  regard 
all  of  these  divisions  of  people  as  having  the  right  to  the  in- 
heritance of  Christianity  which  they  claim  and  to  admit  that 
Christianity  may  express  itself  in  various  ways.  But  these 
divisions  are  not  confined  to  modern  times.  They  appear 
early  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  church. 
The  Early  Sects. 

Christianity  had  hardly  taken  shape  in  any  organized  form 
before  there  were  differences  of  opinion,  which  resulted  some- 
times in  contending  parties.  Even  in  the  Book  of  Acts  there 
is  an  account  of  divisions  among  the  apostles,  the  one  side  rep- 
resented by  Peter  and  the  other  by  Paul.  (See  Acts  xv.) 
In  a  later  time  these  differences  assumed  a  very  definite  form 
and  are  known  by  distinctive  names.  A  few  of  the  more  im- 
portant ones  will  be  mentioned  here. 
Gnostics. 

In  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era  and  extending  on 
to  the  sixth  there  were  people  among  the  Christians  who  came 
to  be  known  as  Gnostics.  These  aimed  to  combine  certain 
speculations  of  Greek  philosophy  with  the  traditions  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  Gnostic  in  general  believed  in  one  Supreme 
Intelligence,  who  was  unapproachable  to  man.  Between  him 
and  man  were  spirits,  or  a^ons.  One  of  these,  and  the  chief 
one,  was  Christ.  Of  these  Gnostics  there  were  such  as  Corin- 
thians, Ebionites,  Sabellians,  each  differing  slightly  from  the 
others  in  the  way  in  which  Christ  was  represented,  some  em- 
phasizing his  human  relations  and  some  his  divine.  The 
Monarchians  were  a  sect  that  denied  Christ's  divinity  entirely 
or  regarded  him  as  a  manifestation  of  divinity  such  as  all  are. 


Arians. 

This  was  the  name  of  a  prominent  sect  that  denied  that 
Christ  was  one  substance  with  the  Father.  They  set  forth 
the  subordinate  nature  of  Christ  in  relation  to  God,  and  were 
Unitarian  in  their  general  conception  of  God.  They  were 
opposed  by  the  Athanasians,  who  insisted  that  Christ  was  of 
an  equality  with  the  Father.  The  Council  of  Nicaea  in  ^25 
A.D.  decided  in  favor  of  Athanasius  and  against  Arius. 
Pelagians. 

This  sect  began  in  the  fifth  century,  and  had  a  large  follow- 
ing and  influence.  They  believed  that  Adam  was  created 
mortal,  and  that  in  sinning  he  injured  only  himself,  and  not 
the  race.  This  was  in  opposition  to  the  prevailing  belief  that 
man  is  naturally  evil,  and  inherited  such  an  evil  nature  from 
the  sin  of  Adam.  The  Pelagians  taught  that  each  person  has 
his  own  will  to  sin  or  to  do  right. 
Nestorians. 

This  sect  took  its  name  from  Nestorius,  bishop  of  Constan- 
tinople. He  held  that  Christ  had  two  natures.  When  born, 
he  was  entirely  human,  and  remained  so  until  divinity  en- 
tered into  him.  Some  of  these  beliefs  exist  to-day  in  Western 
Asia  in  a  party  associated  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
The  Outcome. 

Many  of  these  sects  were  small,  and  soon  passed  out  of 
existence.  Some  were  voted  against  in  the  councils  of  the 
church  and  suppressed.  Doubtless  many  individuals  kept 
on  quietly  holding  and  maintaining  their  beliefs.  Some  have 
long  maintained  themselves  in  remote  regions.  Some  of  these 
questions  seem  trivial  to  us,  but  they  were  vital  to  them.  All 
down  through  Christian  history  there  have  been  such  sects, 
though  for  a  time  the  great  Roman  Catholic  Church  held  sway, 
and  outwardly  compelled  uniformity  and  persecuted  heretics. 


1.  What  do  we  mean  by  the  sects  of  Christianity? 

2.  What  did  the  Gnostic  believe  ? 

3.  What  is  the  good  and  what  the  evil  of  sects? 


Chapter  XI. — The  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Origin. 

Among  the  early  Christian  churches  founded  was  the  one 
at  Rome.  When  these  churches  became  more  generally  or- 
ganized, bishops  and  other  othcers  were  chosen  to  have  charge 
of  them.  The  bishop  of  Rome  took  a  high  position  among 
the  bishops  because  of  the  importance  of  the  city.  Finally, 
temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  power  was  assumed  by  the  church. 
The  church  established  itself  by  means  of  great  Councils. 
Its  sway  extended  far  over  the  world,  and  it  claimed  to  be 
universal  (catholic)  in  its  rule. 
The  Pope. 

The  bishop  of  Rome  became  the  pope.  The  pope  is  the 
head  of  the  church,  and  lives  in  Rome.  He  has  lost  the  tem- 
poral power,  though  he  still  claims  right  to  it.  He  claims  to 
be  the  representative  of  Christ  on  earth,  having  received  his 
authority  from  Christ's  command  to  Peter  (Matthew  xvi. 
15-19)  and  being  Peter's  successor.  He  is  regarded  as  infal- 
lible; that  is,  he  cannot  err.  It  is  not  meant  that  as  a  man 
he  may  not  err,  but  as  an  official  he  cannot.  Every  member 
of  this  church  must  obey  the  pope  absolutely.  What  the 
pope  says  must  be  accepted  as  the  truth.  One  must  be  will- 
ing to  renounce  his  own  opinions  if  the  pope  says  they  are  false. 
The  Bible  is  considered  the  word  of  God,  but  it  must  be  inter- 
preted by  the  church  through  the  pope.  The  pope  lives  at 
Rome,  and  his  residence  is  called  the  Vatican. 
The  Mass. 

The  most  important  feature  of  the  doctrine  of  the  church 
is  found  in  the  mass.  It  forms  a  part  of  the  worship.  It  is 
claimed  to  be  the  celebration  of  the  Last  Supper.  In  the  mass 
the  bread  ani  wine  are  supposed  to  be  changed  into  the  actual 
body  and  blood  of  Christ.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  transub- 
stantiation.  The  bread  in  the  form  of  a  wafer  is  given  to  the 
people,  the  wine  is  drunk  only  by  the  priest. 
Other  Doctrines. 

The  general  belief  is  that  man  is  born  in  sin,  through  its 


22 

transmission  from  Adam,  and  he  must  be  regenerated.  This 
is  accompHshed  through  the  death  of  Christ.  Infants  are  not 
saved  until  they  are  baptized.  Roman  Catholics  believe  in 
the  Trinity,  God  as  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  life 
after  death  there  are  three  places, — hell,  purgatory,  and  heaven. 
Hell  is  the  place  of  eternal  torments,  heaven  of  eternal  bliss. 
Purgatory  is  a  place  between  where  those  go  who  are  not  con- 
demned to  hell  and  are  not  yet  fit  for  heaven.  Prayers  of  the 
living  may  help  those  in  purgatory  on  their  way  to  heaven. 
Orders. 

Within  the  church  are  many  orders  of  monks  and  nuns. 
The  main  ones  are  the  Dominicans  and  the  Franciscans.  They 
are  all  ascetic,  giving  up  their  own  property,  being  very  strict 
in  discipline,  and  holding  bodily  torture  to  be  a  virtue.  They 
take  the  vows  of  chastity,  poverty,  and  obedience.  For  chas- 
tity they  do  not  marry;  for  poverty  they  own  nothing  individ- 
ually; for  obedience  they  obey  their  superiors  absolutely. 
The  order  of  Jesuits,  the  Society  of  Jesus,  is  very  strict. 
Organization. 

Around  the  pope  are  the  cardinals,  who  are  appointed  by 
him.  Next  in  order  are  the  archbishops  in  the  different  prov- 
inces throughout  the  whole  world.  Then  come  the  bishops. 
Then  comes  the  priesthood.  Thus  the  authority  of  the  pope 
is  handed  down  directly  through  these  officials  of  the  church. 
Other  Characteristics. 

The  services  are  very  formal  and  pictorial.  High  mass  is 
sung :  low  mass  is  read.  The  service  is  in  the  Latin  language. 
The  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  is  prominent,  to  whom  wor- 
ship is  paid.  Prayers  are  also  made  to  various  saints,  a  church 
generally  choosing  some  special  saint,  who  then  becomes  the 
patron  saint.  The  crucifix,  Christ  on  the  cross,  is  a  common 
symbol. 

1.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  words  "Roman"  and  "Catholic"? 

2.  What  is  the  main  doctrine  of  Roman  Catholicism  ? 

3.  What  do  you  know  about  the  Roman  Church  in  your  vicinity  ? 


Chapter  XII. — The  Greek  Church. 

A  Strange  Old  Church. 

If  we  should  go  to  worship  in  one  of  the  main  churches  of  St. 
Petersburg,  Russia,  we  would  tind  a  service  different  from  any 
with  which  we  are  commonly  acquainted.  It  would  be  neither 
Protestant  nor  Roman  Catholic.  Yet,  though  strange  to  us, 
we  would  fmd  it  the  established  church  of  Russia,  and  the  main 
church  in  Greece  and  other  neighboring  countries  of  the  East. 
It  is  a  very  old  church,  going  back  in  its  history  to  the  early 
days  of  Christianity.  It  is  called  the  Eastern  Church,  in  dis- 
tinction from  that  at  Rome,  which  was  Western.  The  full 
name  is  the  Holy  Orthodox  Catholic  Apostolic  Church. 
History. 

The  difference  between  this  and  other  churches  is  mainly 
historical.  There  was  no  such  division  at  first.  Gradually 
differences  arose  between  the  East,  with  the  bishop's  seat  at 
Constantinople,  and  the  West,  with  the  bishop's  seat  at  Rome. 
Into  the  details  of  those  differences  it  is  not  necessary  to  go 
here.  But  Rome  began  to  take  prominence,  and  the  East  was 
not  willing  to  yield  to  Rome's  increasing  authority.  There  was 
also  a  doctrinal  difference.  The  creeds  made  by  the  earliest 
world  councils  were  accepted  by  all.  But  a  council  in  589  a.d. 
asserted  that  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds  from  the  Son  as  well  as 
the  Father,  and  to  this  the  Eastern  Church  objected.  Dissen- 
tions  continued,  and  the  complete  break  came  in  1054. 
Government. 

The  Greek  Church  has  no  head,  like  the  Roman  pope.  The 
authorities  of  the  church  are  called  patriarchs,  of  whom  there 
are  four,  one  each  at  Constantinople,  Antioch,  Jerusalem,  and 
Alexandria.  In  Russia  there  is  a  Holy  Synod,  which  has  com- 
plete control.  Its  members  are  appointed  by  the  czar.  The 
clerg}'  are  divided  into  the  Black,  who  are  the  monks,  and  the 
WTiite,  who  are  the  parish  priests. 
Doctrines. 

The  Nicene  Creed  is  the  one  of  the  creeds  generally  accepted 
as  most  authoritative.     The  Bible  and  tradition  are  accepted. 


24 

The  interpretation  of  these  to  be  received  as  final  is  given  by 
the  church  authorities.  They  believe  in  the  Trinity,,  but  they 
beheve  that  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds  only  from  the  Father.  In 
the  bread  and  wine  of  the  Eucharist  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ  are  believed  to  be  substantially  present,  but  not  actually 
nor  symbolically.  It  is  the  custom  and  tradition  even  more 
than  doctrine  which  distinguish  this  church  from  others. 
Customs. 

The  liturgy  is  in  Greek,  and  thus  goes  back  to  the  language 
of  the  New  Testament.  The  ritual  is  very  elaborate,  and  the 
vestments  are  gorgeous.  The  forms  of  the  service  are  rever- 
enced even  to  the  point  of  abject  servility,  especially  by  the 
Russian  peasants.  Baptism  is  by  immersion.  The  use  of 
images  is  not  allowed,  but  pictures  are  permitted  and  much 
venerated.  The  icon  is  a  characteristic  object.  It  is  a  rep- 
resentation of  Christ  or  an  angel  or  a  saint  in  painting,  relief, 
or  mosaic.  Practically,  it  is  regarded  as  an  image  or  idol  would 
be.  Some  of  these  icons  are  supposed  to  work  miracles.  The 
calendar  is  different  from  ours,  so  that  Easter,  Christmas,  and 
other  church  days  do  not  come  on  the  same  dates  as  they  do 
with  us. 
General  Condition. 

There  has  been  no  Reformation  in  the  Greek  Church.  Some 
attempts  have  been  made  to  break  away  from  the  strictness  of 
the  church,  but  these  have  been  dealt  with  severely,  and  have 
not  generally  been  successful.  There  has  been  very  little 
progress.  The  clergy  are,  as  a  whole,  not  well  educated.  The 
Greek  Church  has  very  little  connection  as  yet  with  liberty 
and  modern  thought. 


1.  What  do  the  terms  "Eastern"  and  "Western  "  mean  as  applied  to 
historic  churches? 

2.  What  is  an  icon? 

3.  Would  progress  be  a  good  thing  for  the  Russian  Church  ? 


Chapter  XIII. — Episcopalians  ;  Lutherans. 

EPISCOPALIANS. 

Place  and  Name. 

This  important  church  is  called  in  England  the  Church  of 
England,  and  in  America  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
In  England  it  is  the  established  church.  The  king  must  belong 
to  it,  and  all  official  ceremonies  must  be  performed  according 
to  its  ritual.  In  the  United  States  it  is  one  of  the  many  churches. 
History. 

The  church  itself  claims  to  go  back  to  the  time  of  the  apostles, 
and  to  have  an  unbroken  line  of  descent  from  them  to  its  min- 
isters of  to-day.  It  claims  an  origin  and  existence  independent 
of  the  Roman  and  Greek  Churches.  The  Roman  Church 
claims  that  the  English  Church  was  planted  by  missionaries  of 
the  Roman  Church,  and  was  a  part  of  it  until  the  Reformation. 
Other  churches  generally  hold  the  latter  view  of  its  origin. 
Anyhow,  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  the  king  was  made  the 
head  of  the  church  instead  of  the  pope,  and  it  became  dis- 
tinctly a  Protestant  Church. 
Creeds. 

The  Episcopal  Church  accepts  the  ancient  creeds,  especially 
the  Apostles'  and  the  Nicene.  The  Apostles'  Creed  is  repeated 
regularly  in  the  services.  The  beliefs  of  the  church  are  authori- 
tatively stated  in  the  Thirty-nine  Articles.  These  include  the 
trinity,  special  inspiration  of  the  Bible,  original  sin,  eternal 
punishment,  and  the  main  orthodox  beliefs. 
Prayer  Book. 

The  Prayer  Book  is  a  feature  of  this  sect.  It  is  noted  for 
its  forms,  and  approaches  the  Roman  and  Greek  Churches  in 
this  respect.  The  forms  of  services  are  fixed,  and  are  regu- 
larly observed,  in  the  main,  in  all  the  churches.  These  forms 
are  found  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 
Divisions. 

There  are  wide  differences  of  opinion  among  its  ministers 
and  people.  The  High  Churchman  is  ver>'  strict  for  the  ancient 
dogmas,  and  follows  an  elaborate  ritual.     The  Low  Churchman 


26 

insists  more  on  direct  faith  in  Christ,  and  cares  less  for  forms. 
The  Broad  Churchman  is  rationalistic  in  his  tendencies,  and 
believes  in  progress  in  religion. 

LUTHERANS. 

A  Protestant  Sect. 

This  church  is  the  direct  outcome  of  the  Protestant  Refor- 
mation in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  church  takes  its  name 
from  the  great  reformer,  Martin  Luther.  It  is  the  established 
church  of  Germany,  Denmark,  Norway,  and  Sweden,  and  it 
is  found  in  the  United  States  and  other  countries. 
Doctrine. 

The  Augsburg  Confession  is  a  statement  of  doctrine  which 
Lutherans  commonly  accept.  It  sets  forth  the  beliefs  of  the 
ancient  creeds,  but  asserts  specially  that  man  is  justified  before 
God  not  by  works  nor  by  his  own  merit,  but  by  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Baptism  is  regarded  as  necessary  for  salvation.  Lu- 
therans believe  in  consubstantiation :  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ  coexist  with  the  bread  and  wine  of  the  Eucharist,  but 
the  latter  remain  true  bread  and  wine. 
Divisions. 

There  are  various  branches  of  Lutherans,  differing  slightly 
from  each  other.  In  the  United  States  there  are  English 
Lutheran  churches  and  other  churches  in  which  the  services 
are  in  the  languages  of  the  people  who  have  come  from  other 
countries  where  this  church  is  dominant.  Lutherans  make 
much  of  liturgy  and  music. 
Rationalism. 

Some  have  carried  out  farther  than  have  Lutherans  gener- 
ally the  principle  of  liberty  involved  in  the  Reformation. 
These  have  brought  forth  historical  criticism,  especially  in 
Germany,  and  have  used  rationalistic  principles  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible,  the  church,  and  in  all  religion. 


1.  What  are  the  peculiar  features  of  a  service  in  an  Episcopal  church? 

2.  How  came  the  Lutheran  Church  to  be? 

3.  What  are  the  advantages  and  what  the  danger  in  a  liturgy? 


Chapter  XIV. — Congregationalists  ;  Presbyterians. 

CONGREGATIONALISTS. 

Government. 

The  name  contains  the  main  feature  of  this  body  of  Chris- 
tians. The  emphasis  is  upon  the  congregation,  the  people 
who  make  up  the  church.  They  have  the  authority  to  decide 
what  shall  be  believed  and  done,  and  each  church  is  indepen- 
dent of  the  others.  Some  other  sects  also  have  this  form  of 
government,  but  the  name  is  specially  used  by  this  church 
which  has  put  this  idea  into  prominence. 
Origin. 

This  church  grew  out  of  opposition,  in  England,  to  the 
established  church  there.  Several  sets  of  people  withdrew 
from  that  church.  The  most  important  withdrawal  was  that 
which  formed  the  church  at  Scrooby.  Later  these  emigrated 
to  Holland,  and  then,  as  the  Pilgrims,  came  to  America,  and 
settled  in  Plymouth  in  1620.  Other  separatists  were  the  Puri- 
tans, many  of  whom  also  settled  in  America. 
Beliefs. 

As  each  church  is  independent  in  government,  so  each  church 
is  supposed  to  shape  its  own  creed.  Each  church  forms  a 
covenant  about  which  its  membership  gathers.  Yet  there  are 
associations  of  churches  for  mutual  help,  and  these  have  formed 
statements  which  are  accepted  by  most  of  the  churches.  There- 
fore, in  general,  Congregationalists  are  believers  in  the  trinity. 
The  Bible  is  held  to  have  special  inspiration  and  authority. 
Man  inherits  sin  from  Adam,  and  is  thus  alienated  from  God. 
He  was  redeemed  by  the  sacrifice  of  Christ. 
Liberal  Orthodoxy. 

Among  Congregationalists  is  a  considerable  and  an  increas- 
ing number  of  people  who  reject  the  stricter  doctrines  about 
the  infallibility  of  the  Bible,  future  punishment,  and  the  like, 
and  are  liberal  in  their  beliefs.  They  generally  call  them- 
selves Trinitarian,  however,  and  keep  rather  closely  to  what 
is  called  Evangelical,  the  essence  of  which  is  that  Christ  has 
some  unique  and  necessar}-  relation  to  man's  salvation. 


28 


PRESBYTERIANS. 

Name. 

Here  also  the  distinction  of  the  denomination  is  in  its  form 
of  church  government,  and  is  found  in  its  name.  The  pres- 
byter is  regarded  as  the  main  official  of  the  church,  and  is 
beheved  to  have  sanction  for  his  authority  from  the  New  Tes- 
tament. The  bishop  there  referred  to  is  considered  the  same 
as  presbyter.  This  form  of  church  government,  set  forth  by 
John  Calvin,  was  used  effectively  in  opposition  to  the  Roman 
Church.  It  had  its  stronghold  in  Scotland,  where  it  was  up- 
held by  John  Knox. 
Beliejs. 

Calvinism  is  the  basis  of  Presbyterian  doctrine.  This  doc- 
trine was  proclaimed  at  Westminster  in  1643,  and  is  known 
as  the  Westminster  Confession.  Presbyterians  are  generally 
strict  in  their  interpretation  of  the  Bible  as  the  infallible 
word  of  God. 

The  doctrine  takes  shape  as  the  five  points  of  Calvinism. 
These  are:  total  depravity,  all  men  naturally  sinful  as  the  re- 
sult of  Adam's  fall;  unconditional  election,  some  men  chosen 
by  God  to  be  saved  and  some  to  be  lost;  particular  atone- 
ment, Christ's  sacrifice  effective  for  those  only  who  were  chosen 
to  receive  it;  effectual  grace,  man  not  saved  by  anything  he 
can  do,  but  by  God's  grace  working  in  him;  perseverance 
of  the  saints,  those  chosen  never  falling  from  grace  and  surely 
eternally  saved.  There  have  been  attempts  made  to  change 
or  supplant  these  doctrines,  and  there  are  many  Presbyterians 
who  are  looking  for  a  modern  and  more  humane  statement 
of  belief. 
Divisions. 

There  are  a  dozen  and  more  kinds  of  Presbyterians,  the 
United  Presbyterians,  Reformed,  etc.  These  differ  about 
minor   points   of   government    and   belief. 


1.  What  mean  the  names  "Congregational"  and  "Presbyterian"? 

2.  What  is  the  substance  of  the  belief  of  both  these  churches? 

3.  Wliat  are  the  present  tendencies  in  these  churches  in  beliefs? 


Chapter  XV. — Methodists;  Baptists. 

METHODISTS. 

John  Wesley  ( 1 703- 1791). 

The  founder  of  their  church,  John  Wesley,  is  of  peculiar 
importance  to  Methodists.  In  college,  at  Oxford,  Wesley 
formed  a  society  for  the  cultivation  of  the  religious  life.  On 
account  of  the  fixed  rules  of  discipline  the  members  of  this 
society  were  called,  rather  derisively,  Methodists.  Later  the 
name  became  attached  to  the  church,  and  was  accepted  as 
a  name  of  honor.  Wesley  came  to  America  for  two  years, 
and  preached  in  Georgia.  After  going  back  to  England,  he 
and  others  promulgated  their  beliefs,  but  were  excluded  from 
the  churches  of  the  Church  of  England,  to  which  they  still 
belonged.  So  they  went  out  wherever  they  could  find  people 
to  hear,  and  preached  their  gospel  in  houses  and  barns  and 
open  fields.  Finally,  the  movement  took  shape  in  a  separate 
church.  It  is  known  in  the  United  States  as  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  in  England  as  the  Wesleyan  Methodist. 
Beliefs. 

The  Methodists  are  Arminian  rather  than  Calvinistic.  The 
Arminian,  and  so  the  Methodist,  believes  in  free  grace.  Not 
merely  a  chosen  few,  but  any  and  all  can  be  saved  who  are 
willing  to  accept  the  atonement  of  Christ.  In  other  matters 
the  Methodists'  belief  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  other 
evangelical  sects.  They  emphasize  the  conversion  of  the 
sinner.  This  may  be  very  sudden,  and  each  one  has  evidence 
in  his  own  experience  that  he  is  saved. 
Characteristics. 

The  Methodists  are  very  earnest  in  preaching  and  prayer. 
The  lay  person  is  of  much  importance  in  their  churches. 
The  class  meetings  are  characteristic  of  Methodist  cus- 
toms, groups  of  members  with  leaders  holding  meetings  for 
relating  experiences  and  for  counsel.  The  general  con- 
ference has  final  authority  in  church  government.  In  this 
conference  the  bishops  are  elected,  who  oversee  the  work  of 


30 

the  church    and  assign  ministers   to  churches.  The  , church 

discipHne    forbids   such   worldly    practices   as  card  -  playing, 

attending    theatres,    though    many    Methodists  are   working 
to  have  this  rule  repealed. 

BAPTISTS. 

Baptism. 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  this  church  is  found  not  in 
doctrine  or  in  church  government,  but  in  a  rite.  Baptism  is 
regarded  as  necessary  for  a  behever,  and  immersion  is  consid- 
ered the  only  true  form  of  baptism.  In  the  main  body  of 
Baptists  those  only  are  admitted  to  communion  who  have 
been  immersed.  This  has  been  called  close  communion. 
History. 

Certain  sects  similar  to  Baptists  existed  early  and  for  a  long 
time.  Later,  Baptists  appeared  in  England,  where  they  met 
with  persecution  until  the  Act  of  Toleration  passed  in  1689. 
In  America  the  church  originated  with  Roger  Williams. 
He  was  driven  from  the  Massachusetts  Colony  by  the  Puri- 
tans, and  went  to  what  is  now  Rhode  Island.  Baptist 
churches  are  independent  of  each  other,  and  they  have  been 
influential  in  securing  and  maintaining  religious  liberty. 
General  Beliefs. 

Aside  from  the  matter  of  baptism  the  Baptists  are  usually 
Calvinistic  in  doctrine.  They  accept  the  doctrines  about  the 
innate  sinfulness  of  man,  the  atonement  of  Christ,  and  like 
evangelical  beliefs.  There  are  many  among  them  who  work 
for  progress  in  religious  beliefs,  and  hold  to  views  of  the  Bible 
according  to  historical  criticism. 
Branches. 

Besides  the  General  Baptists  there  are  the  Free  Baptists, 
or  Free-will  Baptists  as  they  are  sometimes  called.  The  latter 
are  Arminian  in  doctrine,  asserting  the  free  will  of  man  to 
accept  or  reject  salvation.  They  practise  immersion,  but  do 
not  insist  on  it  as  necessary. 


1.  Who  was  John  Wesley? 

2.  What  do  you  know  about  Methodist  and  Baptist  churches  near  you  ? 

3.  If  you  do  not  believe  in  immersion,  what  is  your  reason  ? 


Chapter  XVI. — Friends;  Swedenborgians;  Christians. 

Friends. 

The  Society  of  Friends,  sometimes  called  Quakers,  believe 
in  the  Inner  Light, — a  light  in  every  person  which  is  sufficient 
to  guide  him  in  all  things.  This  is  the  Holy  Spirit  which  is 
present  in  people,  and  moves  them  to  speak  and  to  act.  The 
Friends  began  in  England  with  George  Fox  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  They  came  early  to  America,  and  were  severely  per- 
secuted by  the  Puritans.  William  Penn,  who  settled  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  a  Friend,  and  Friends  became  numerous  there. 
They  generally  accept  the  orthodox  views  of  the  Bible,  Trinity, 
salvation,  etc.  However,  under  Elias  Hicks,  early  in  the 
nineteenth  century  a  division  took  place.  The  Hicksite  Friends 
became  very  liberal,  being  practically  Unitarian  in  their  be- 
liefs. 

The  Friends'  customs  are  peculiar.  Their  services  are  plain. 
They  sit  in  silence  until  some  one  is  moved  by  the  spirit  to 
speak.  They  are  plain  in  dress  and  in  language.  They  avoid 
show  and  worldly  things.  They  use  "  thee"  and  "  thou"  in 
addressing  each  other.  Such  customs  are  being  changed  in 
these  days,  and  dress  and  language  and  services  are  coming 
to  resemble  those  of  other  people.  They  do  not  take  the  oath 
in  court,  and  they  are  earnest  advocates  of  peace.  Their 
church  buildings  are  without  much  ornament,  and  all  their 
rites  are  simple. 
Swedenhorgians. 

Emanuel  Swedenborg,  a  native  of  Sweden,  is  the  teacher  and 
founder  of  this  sect.  It  was  about  1745  when,  as  he  claimed, 
spiritual  sight  was  given  him,  so  that  he  had  a  view  of  the  world 
beyond.  He  held  conversation  with  angels.  He  then  saw  and 
understood  about  the  future  life  and  also  the  present.  Then 
he  began  to  tell  what  he  had  seen  and  to  publish  writings. 
His  followers  accept  his  vision  as  a  real  one,  and  take  their 
beliefs  directly  from  his  teachings.  They  call  themselves  the 
Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  or  sometimes  simply  the  New 
Church. 


32 

Swedenborgians  believe  that  God  has  three  forms,  -not  of 
persons,  to  set  forth  and  manifest  the  divine  love.  The  Bible 
is  specially  inspired,  and  treats  everywhere  of  eternal  things. 
Its  outward  form  is  only  a  symbol  of  its  spiritual  meaning. 
Man  has  tendencies  to  evil,  but  is  a  sinner  only  when  he  yields. 
Man  does  not  die.  The  material  part  alone  dies.  After  what 
is  called  death,  new  senses  are  opened.  In  heaven  the  law  of 
affinity  works,  souls  going  in  the  directions  in  which  their  qual- 
ities naturally  lead.  In  the  other  life,  souls  are  at  work  and 
find  something  to  do  to  develop  their  powers  and  to  help 
others. 
Christians. 

A  large  body  of  believers  in  the  United  States  refuse  to  take 
any  particular  name,  and  wish  to  be  known  only  as  Christians. 
They  do  not  want  to  be  considered  a  sect  and  separated  from 
other  Christians.  This  is  their  distinguishing  characteristic. 
One  branch  of  these  came  from  people  who  withdrew  from  the 
Method  sts  of  Virginia,  the  Presbyterians  of  Kentucky,  and 
the  Baptists  of  Vermont.  They  are  often  known  as  the  Chris- 
tian Connection.  They  take  the  Bible  as  their  only  creed,  and 
they  allow  each  one  to  interpret  it  for  himself.  They  empha- 
size the  desire  for  a  union  of  all  Christians.  Character  is  their 
only  test  of  church  fellowship.  Generally,  but  not  always,, 
they  practise  immersion  as  the  form  of  baptism. 

The  other  branch  is  known  as  the  Disciples  of  Christ,  some- 
times as  Campbellites,  after  Alexander  Campbell,  their  founder. 
They  are  the  more  numerous  body  to-day,  and  have  recently 
made  large  gains  in  membership  in  the  western  parts  of  the 
United  States.  They  hold  much  the  same  views  as  the  other 
branch,  but  they  insist  on  baptism  by  immersion  as  necessary 
for  salvation  and  for  church  membership.  They  observe  the 
Lord's  Supper  every  Sunday. 


1.  What  is  the  central  belief  of  the  Friends? 

2.  What  do  Swedenborgians  believe  about  heaven? 

3.  Why  do  the  Christians  call  themselves  only  by  that  name? 


Chapter  XVII. — Some  Other  Sects. 

Moravians. 

In  Germany,  England,  and  in  certain  parts  of  the  United 
States  is  a  body  of  Christians  known  as  Moravians,  from  Mo- 
ravia in  Europe,  where  they  originated.  They  come  from  the 
work  of  the  martyr  John  Huss.  The  Bible  is  taken  as  their 
rule  of  faith,  and  they  are  generally  evangelical.  Moravians 
emphasize  the  personal  Christ  and  show  a  deep  religious  feel- 
ing. This  devotion  is  expressed  in  their  Hturgy  and  music. 
The  Reformed  Churches. 

These  are  Protestant  churches  which  have  a  Dutch  or  German 
origin.  They  are  generally  Calvinistic  in  doctrine,  though 
there  are  tendencies  towards  liberalism.  The  church  govern- 
ment is  somewhat  like  that  of  the  Presbyterians.  The  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  is  strong  in  New  York,  having  been  planted 
there  by  the  Dutch  settlers.  The  German  Reformed  Church 
is  found  in  Maryland  and  Ohio. 
Mennonites. 

These  believers  have  existed  in  Holland,  Switzerland,  Ger- 
many, and  Southern  Russia.  Many  have  come  from  these 
regions  and  have  settled  in  America.  They  believe  in  non- 
resistance,  that  one  should  not  strike  back  when  struck.  They 
refuse  to  take  oaths,  believing  that  Jesus  prohibited  it.  They 
baptize  by  pouring,  though  some  branches  of  the  main  move- 
ment baptize  by  immersing  three  times.  Some  of  them  prac- 
tise feet  washing.  They  wear  the  plain  dress.  But  among  the 
younger  generations  these  customs  are  being  reformed. 
A  dventists. 

The  Adventist  doctrine  is  similar  to  that  of  Baptists.  Their 
peculiar  idea  is  that  Christ  is  yet  to  come  a  second  time,  and  is 
to  reign  on  the  earth.  This  is  the  second  advent.  The  Seventh- 
day  Adventists  think  the  Mosaic  law  about  the  Sabbath  is  still 
binding;  so  they  observe  Saturday  as  the  Sabbath. 
Christian  Scientists. 

These  have  come  into  existence  only  in  later  years,  but  have 
increased  rapidly.  They  take  their  doctrine  from  Mrs.  Mary 
Baker  G.  Eddy,  who  wrote  a  book,  "Science  and  Health," 


34 

which  her  followers  read  along  with  the  Bible.  The  essential 
idea  is  that  sickness  and  sin  are  but  an  illusion.  One  is  always 
well,  if  he  is  free  from  the  illusion  of  sickness.  They  think 
that  there  is  no  physical  world,  and  that  the  spirit  is  the  only 
reality.  They  teach  that,  since  God  is  all  and  is  love,  there 
can  be  no  pain  or  evil. 
Mormons. 

Mormons  call  their  church  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter  Day  Saints.  It  began  with  Joseph  Smith  in  1830. 
He  is  believed  to  have  had  a  special  revelation  from  God,  or 
to  have  discovered  a  revelation  which  had  been  written  on 
golden  plates  by  a  prophet  named  Mormon.  This  now  makes 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  is  accepted  as  divine  along  with 
the  Bible.  They  believe  in  polygamy,  and  practise  it  unless 
forbidden  by  the  laws  of  the  nation.  The  head  of  the  church 
is  regarded  as  having  divine  authority. 
Spiritualists. 

That  the  spirits  of  the  dead  can  and  do  have  communication 
with  the  living  is  tiie  special  belief  of  Spiritualists.  This  com- 
munication is  made  through  some  person  peculiarly  suscep- 
tible to  spiritual  influences,  known  as  the  medium.  There  are 
organizations  of  Spiritualists  in  the  United  States  and  Europe. 
The  Salvation  Army. 

This  is  not  strictly  a  church,  but  it  has  its  own  organizations 
and  workers.  It  was  founded  by  William  Booth  in  England 
in  1865.  Its  organization  is  in  the  military  form,  with  generals, 
captains,  and  uniform.  The  effort  is  to  reach  the  lower  classes 
of  society  by  out-of-door  meetings  and  novel  methods. 
Ethical  Culture  Society. 

A  noble  company  of  people,  not  calling  themselves  Christian 
or  even  religious.  They  are  associated  together  under  leaders 
to  study  and  teach  ethics  and  to  work  for  the  social  welfare. 


1.  What  is  the  character  of  the  Moravians? 

2.  If  people  have  separate  churches,  what  only  should  separate  them? 

3.  What  sects  can  you  name? 


Chapter XVIII. — Universalists;  Unitarians. 

UNIVERSALISTS. 

Origin. 

There  were  in  early  Christianity  believers  in   the  essential 
features  of  Universalism,  but  the  doctrine  was  lost  sight  of 
generally  until  it  found  expression  in  special    preaching   and 
organization  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.     John/ 
Murray,  of  London,  came  to  believe  that  Christ's  death  was': 
for  the  purpose  of  finally  saving  all.     Murray  came  to  America  ji 
in  1770,  and  formed  the  first  Universalist  Church  in  Gloucester, 
Mass.     The  most  honored  name  among  Universalist  founders 
is  Hosea  Ballou.     He  differed  somewhat  from  Murray,  and 
preached  what  came  to  be  the  prevailing  doctrine  of  Univer-f 
salists.     Ballou  began  his  preaching  in  1790. 
Beliefs. 

The  Universalists  differ  among  themselves  on  some  points, 
but  the  Winchester  Confession,  adopted  at  Winchester,  N.H., 
in  1803,  long  stood  as  the  most  authoritative  statement.  This 
brief  profession  is  as  follows: 

"Article  I.  We  believe  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  contain  a  revelation  of  the  character  of 
God  and  of  the  duty,  interest,  and  final  destination  of  mankind. 

"Article  II.  We  believe  that  there  is  one  God,  whose  nature 
is  love,  revealed  in  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  one  Holy  Spirit 
of  Grace,  who  will  finally  restore  the  whole  family  of  mankind 
to  holiness  and  happiness. 

"Article  III.  We  believe  that  holiness  and  true  happiness 
are  inseparably  connected,  and  that  believers  ought  to  be  care- 
ful to  maintain  order  and  practise  good  works,  for  these  things 
are  good  and  profitable  unto  men," 

Later  Universalists  found  these  somewhat  inadequate  to 
express  their  beliefs.  So  at  Boston,  in  1899,  the  General  Con- 
vention adopted  the  following  as  their  principles :  The  universal 
Fatherhood  of  God.  The  spiritual  authority  and  leadership  of 
His  son,  Jesus  Christ.  The  trustworthiness  of  the  Bible  as 
containing  a  revelation  from  God.  The  certainty  of  just  retri- 
bution for  sin.     The  final  harmony  of  all  souls  with  God. 


36 

They  also  declared  that  neither  this  nor  any  other  precise 
form  of  words  should  be  required  as  a  condition  of  fellowship. 
Organization. 

The  churches  belong  to  the  Congregational  order,  managing 
their  own  affairs.  Conferences  are  for  mutual  counsel  and  for 
work.  Many  people  in  other  sects  hold  similar  views,  but 
these  organize  and  work  to  defend  and  to  promote  them. 

UNITARIANS. 

Characteristics. 

Standing  at  the  farthest  point  from  such  believers  as  Roman 
Catholics  is  a  company  of  people  who  have  been  called  Uni- 
tarians. They  emphasize  freedom  of  belief.  Each  one  is  to 
,choose  his  own  belief.  His  reason  is  to  be  his  guide,  his  con- 
science is  his  authority.  The  name  "Unitarian"  came  to  be 
applied  to  them  because  they  believed  in  God  as  one  and  not 
I  three, — ^unitarian,  not  trinitarian.  They  have  no  creed,  but 
certain  common  beliefs  and  aims  join  them  together  in  worship 
and  work. 
Common  Beliefs. 

Unitarians  believe  in  the  unity  of  God.  God  is  the  same 
everywhere,  and  is  everywhere  revealing  Himself  to  men.  God 
is  love  and  goodness.  Unitarians  accept  in  fulness  the  father- 
hood of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  The  two  great 
commandments,  love  to  God  and  love  to  man,  are  set  forth  as 
the  main  things.  They  believe  in  the  dignity  of  human  nature. 
Man  is  divine,  not  sinful,  by  birth.  They  accept  Jesus  as  leader 
and  inspirer.  His  life  and  teachings  are  studied  and  empha- 
sized. The  Bible,  as  a  record  of  religious  history  and  life,  is 
regarded  of  great  value,  though  not  infallible.  They  believe 
that  man  is  immortal,  and  that  the  future  life  is  to  be  one  of 
progress.     Such  makes  the  substance  of  their  faith. 


1.  What  is  the  significance  of  the  name  "Universalist"? 

2.  In  what  do  Universalis ts  and  Unitarians  agree  ? 

3.  How  do  both  diflfer  from  churches  called  evangelical? 


PART   THREE. 

The   Unitarians. 

SECTION  I.     HISTORY. 

Chapter  XIX. — Ancient  Connections. 

Early  Religions. 

Though  the  Unitarian  form  of  rehgion  is  very  modern,  it  is 
also,  in  certain  ways,  very  ancient.  Indeed,  in  the  thought 
that  man  has  ever  been  seeking  after  God  and  God  has  ever 
been  revealing  Himself  to  man,  there  is  a  sympathetic  kinship 
with  the  earliest  forms  of  religion.  Wherever  there  has  been 
an  honest,  even  if  crude,  effort  to  come  into  relation  with  the 
Unseen  Power  and  to  do  what  is  demanded  by  such  a  belief, 
a  Unitarian  would  find  a  real,  even  if  partial,  expression  of  the 
religious  spirit,  and  would  honor  it  as  akin  to  his  own. 
The  Hebrew  Religion. 

The  Hebrews  developed  a  belief  in  one  God.  With  their 
God  they  came  to  connect  the  ideas  of  righteousness  and  mercy. 
They  even  came  within  sight  of  God  as  a  Father.  In  regard 
to  these  ideas  of  the  oneness  of  God  and  of  his  qualities,  Uni- 
tarianism  agrees  to  a  large  extent  with  Judaism.  Such  an 
agreement  may  perhaps  better  be  regarded  as  with  mono- 
theism. And,  wherever  monotheism  is  found,  there  is  at  leasti 
an  elementary  likeness  to  the  beliefs  of  Unitarians.  There  isj 
this  connection  also  with  Mohammedanism.  ' 

Apostolic  Christianity. 

Unitarians  would  not  claim  that  their  Christianity  is  identical 
with  that  of  the  earliest  Christian  churches,  but  they  would 
claim  that  they  more  nearly  represent  it  than  did  the  Roman 
Church  into  which  Christianity  after  a  time  issued.  Uni- 
tarianism  is  not  an  exact  copy  of  the  religion  represented  in 
the  New  Testament,  but  it  claims  a  close  likeness  in  spirit  to 
what  is  found  there.  There  are  some  features  of  the  earliest 
Christianity  which  belonged  to  the  times  and  are  not  suited  to 


38 

other  and  modern  conditions;    but  the  essential  spirit  of  the 
New  Testament  religion  Unitarians  would  claim  as  theirs  to-day. 

Among  the  early  Christian  Fathers,  certain  ones  are  shown 
by  their  writings  to  be  of  the  Unitarian  way  of  thinking.  Justin 
Martyr,  in  the  latter  half  of  the  second  century,  said,  "Some 
there  are  among  ourselves  who  admit  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
while  holding  him  to  be  a  man  of  men."  Some  of  the  early 
sects,  like  the  Monarchians,  taught  the  idea  of  the  humanity  of 
Jesus. 

And  Arius,  who  opposed  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity  which 
was  put  into  a  creed  in  325  a.d.,  presented  a  view  of  God  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  link  him  closely  with  Unitarian  traditions. 
These  Arians  were  a  type  of  Unitarians,  though  of  course  they 
differed  from  modern  Unitarians  in  many  ways.  All  that  is 
claimed  is  that  there  are  noticeable  resemblances  and  close 
connections  between  Unitarian  and  Apostolic  Christianity.  In 
going  forward,  Unitarians  have  found  many  thoughts  among 
early  Christian  thinkers  which  they  cherish,  and  a  simplicity 
of  custom  and  organization  which  they  have  found  helpful  to 
them  in  their  work. 
The  Reformation. 

There  was  a  spirit  shown  in  the  great  awakening  of  Europe 
called  the  Renaissance  which  made  for  toleration  and  freedom, 
and  so  became  an  antecedent  of  that  rational  spirit  which  is 
characteristic  of  Unitarians.  Then  came  the  Reformation  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  with  the  breaking  away  from  papal 
authority  and  with  the  Protestant  note  of  freedom.  Not  in 
the  outward  form  of  the  Reformation,  but  in  its  inner  spirit, 
is  the  connection  with  Unitarianism  to  be  found.  Unitarians 
claim  that  they  are  only  carrying  the  Protestant  principles  to 
their  natural  conclusions,  and  so  they  claim  a  close  connection 
with  the  reformers  of  those  days. 


1.  In  what  ways  are  Unitarianism  and  Judaism  alike? 

2.  What  are  some  evidences  of  a  Unitarian  spirit  among  the  apostles? 
Acts  X.  34,  35;    I  Corinthians  xiii. 

3.  How  is  the  Reformation  connected  with  Unitarianism? 


Chapter  XX  . — Beginnings  in  America. 

Gradual  Growth. 

Unitarian  sentiment  can  nowhere  be  traced  to  any  clear 
point  of  beginning.  \'arious  tendencies  existed  which  resulted 
finally  in  a  definite  movement  bearing  the  Unitarian  name. 
There  seemed  to  be  something  in  the  condition  of  the  times 
and  in  the  American  soil  which  produced  a  liberal  sentiment  as 
a  natural  growth.  It  even  came  out  from  the  strict  Puritans, 
who  adopted  a  covenant  for  each  church  rather  than  a  creed 
for  all  the  churches.  No  one  can  tell  when  Unitarianism  began 
in  America,  but  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  found 
many  who  were  inclined  in  this  direction,  and  after  the  Revo- 
lution the  names  of  ministers  preaching  the  so-called  heretical 
doctrine  were  numerous.  ' 

Early  Unitarians. 

Among  the  outspoken  men  at  first  was  Rev.  John  Wise,  of 
Ipswich.  He  was  a  Puritan  rationalist,  and  in  his  writings  set 
forth  the  value  of  progress  and  of  the  use  of  reason  in  religion. 
Dr.  Gay,  settled  at  Hingham  in  171 7,  was  among  the  strong 
advocates  of  opinions  that  were  contrary  to  Calvinism.  He 
believed  fully  in  free  inquiry.  Dr.  Mayhew,  of  the  West 
Church,  Boston,  has  been  called  the  first  Unitarian  because  of 
his  open  repudiation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity  and  of  his 
preaching  along  the  lines  later  followed  by  Unitarians.  Dr. 
Chauncey,  of  the  First  Church,  Boston,  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  movement  away  from  orthodoxy  toward  liberalism. 
Many  other  prominent  ministers  were  openly  preaching  the 
new  ideas.  President  John  Adams,  himself  a  Unitarian,  said 
that  he  knew  many  holding  like  sentiments  with  him  among 
laviTcrs,  physicians,  and  business  men  even  before  the  Revo- 
lution. 
Doctrinal  Tendencies. 

In  the  early  developments  in  America,  as  in  later  times, 
there  were  no  fixed  beliefs  which  could  be  called  Unitarian. 
But  the  tendency  was  unmistakable.  Arminianism  had  been 
prominent  a  long  time  in  opposition  to  Calvinism.     Arminians 


40 

taught  that  man  was  able  to  accept  or  reject  the  means  of 
salvation.  There  was  an  element  of  freedom  in  man.  -  Armini- 
anism  also  represented  more  of  democracy  in  religion.  It 
implied  a  faith  in  man,  and  that  idea  grew  to  be  an  essential 
one  with  Unitarians  after  Arminianism  had  passed  away. 
There  was  no  complete  break  with  the  old  theology,  but  grad- 
ually the  emphasis  came  to  be  placed  upon  life  and  upon  the 
nature  of  Jesus  as  subordinate  to  God  and  of  his  greater  worth 
to  man  in  that  position.  After  a  time  the  controversy  centered 
about  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity  or  the  unity  of  God.  The 
liberal  people  accepted  and  taught  the  divine  unity,  and  in  that 
way  came  to  be  known  in  America  as  Unitarians. 
Churches. 

King's  Chapel,  in  Boston,  was  the  first  church  to  ally  itself 
definitely  with  the  Unitarian  movement.  It  had  been  an 
Episcopal  church,  established  for  those  in  Colonial  times  who 
were  adherents  of  the  Church  of  England.  James  Freeman 
had  become  a  Unitarian,  but  notwithstanding  that  fact  he 
was  ordained  minister  of  this  church  in  1787.  The  Prayer 
Book  was  changed  so  as  to  exclude  the  trinitarian  ideas,  and 
was  then  used  for  a  book  of  worship  as  it  is  used  still. 

Dr.  Joseph  Priestley,  an  English  Unitarian,  came  to  this 
country,  and  through  his  efforts  a  church  was  established  in 
Philadelphia,  which  was  the  first  to  take  the  Unitarian  name. 

Many  of  the  old  Puritan  first  parishes  became  Unitarian, 
such  as  those  in  Boston,  Roxbury,  Dorchester,  Hingham, 
Dedham.  The  church  founded  in  Scrooby,  England,  and 
estabUshed  by  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  became  Uni- 
tarian, and  has  so  remained.  Many  Boston  churches  so  changed. 
Other  Changes. 

Henry  Ware,  a  liberal,  was  appointed  professor  of  divinity 
at  Harvard.  Various  societies  were  formed,  and  papers  were 
published.      The  movement  assumed  organized  shape. 


1.  How  did  the  name  "Unitarian"  come  to  be  used? 

2.  What  happened  at  King's  Chapel  ? 

3.  What  is  the  story  of  the  Plymouth  church  ? 


Chapter  XX  I. — In  England. 

Preparing  the  Way. 

Bernardino  Ochino  was  an  Italian  preacher  of  liberal  senti- 
ments. The  Inquisition  pursued  him  until  he  left  his  home 
and  finally  reached  England,  where  he  preached  his  doctrines 
of  the  love  of  God  and  of  the  authority  of  the  spirit  within 
man.     He  left  an  influence  among  the  English  people. 

About  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  a  "Strangers' 
Church"  was  organized  in  London,  where  people  were  per- 
mitted to  worship  according  to  the  customs  of  the  countries 
from  which  they  had  come.  With  the  Catholic  reaction  under 
Queen  Mary  this  church  was  broken  up,  but  under  Queen 
Elizabeth  it  was  again  permitted  to  exist. 
Founders. 

John  Biddle  was  the  first  to  state  publicly  his  beliefs  as  a 
Unitarian.  He  suffered  for  his  honesty  and  boldness.  He  is 
known  as  the  father  of  English  Unitarianism.  Mistreated  and 
persecuted  in  many  ways  for  his  opinions,  he  could  say,  "I 
have  suffered  the  loss  of  many  things,  but  I  do  not  repent." 
He  was  finally  put  into  a  loathsome  prison,  where  he  soon  died, 
a  martyr  of  the  liberal  faith.     Others  succeeded  to  his  beliefs. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  Theophilus 
Lindsey  resigned  his  charge  in  the  established  church,  and 
founded  a  chapel  in  Essex  Street,  London,— the  first  organized 
movement  of  Unitarianism  in  England. 

About  this  time,  also,  Joseph  Priestley,  who  is  knowm  not 
only  as  a  preacher  of  radical  religion,  but  as  a  man  of  science 
also,  the  discoverer  of  ox}'gen,  came  into  prominence.  His 
bold  statements  aroused  feeling  against  him.  His  house  was 
sacked  by  a  mob.  He  left  England  and  came  to  America, 
where,  as  we  saw  in  the  last  chapter,  he  carried  on  his  work 
for  Unitarianism.  Such  eminent  Englishmen  as  John  Milton, 
John  Locke,  and  Isaac  Newton  are  known  to  have  held 
beliefs  essentially  Unitarian. 
The  Steps  to  Freedom. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  England  the  liberal  people 


42 

have  had  to  meet  the  opposition  of  the  established  church, 
which  has  the  power  of  the  state  back  of  it.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  a  number  of  people  were  burned  at  the  stake  for  deny- 
ing the  doctrine  of  the  trinity.  The  Toleration  Act  was  passed 
in  1689,  legalizing  the  non-conforming  churches,  except  Bap- 
tist and  Unitarian.  Ten  years  later  an  act  was  passed  depriv- 
ing the  Unitarians  of  civil  rights  and  prescribing  three  years  in 
prison  for  them.  For  a  long  time  they  were  met  by  such 
hindrances  from  the  state  in  connection  with  the  church.  It 
was  not  until  1813  that  the  penalties  for  denying  the  doctrine  of 
the  trinity  were  removed,  and  it  was  not  until  1848  that  Uni- 
tarians secured  their  full  rights  to  property  in  their  chapels. 
The  prestige  of  a  powerful  state  church  still  makes  the  Uni- 
tarian way  not  easy  in  England. 
Recent  Times 

English  Unitarians  have  numbered  some  great  men  and 
women  among  them.  James  Martineau  was  one  of  the  greatest 
thinkers  and  writers  of  modern  days.  He  was  a  minister  of 
churches,  head  of  the  Unitarian  theological  school  in  England, 
and  author  of  many  religious  and  philosophical  books.  Among 
honored  Unitarian  ministers  in  England  are  Brooke  Herford, 
Stopford  A.  Brooke,  Richard  A.  Armstrong. 
Elsewhere  in  Great  Britain. 

In  Scotland  there  are  a  few  prominent  Unitarian  churches. 
In  Ireland  there  are  about  fifty  churches,  mainly  in  the  north- 
ern part.     There  are  churches  of  the  Unitarian  faith  in  Wales, 
some  also  in  Canada  and  other  English  colonies. 
Organization. 

Great  Britain  has  some  four  hundred  churches.  These  have 
mostly  come  from  Presbyterian  lineage,  and  often  do  not  bear 
the  name  "  Unitarian."  Many  of  them  have  also  a  Presbyterian 
form  of  government.  There  are  various  bodies  for  carrying  on 
general  work,  and  considerable  gain  has  been  made  in  recent 
years. 

1.  Who  was  John  Biddle? 

2.  How  did  the  first  Unitarian  church  in  England  come  to  be  ? 

3.  What  has  made  progress  in  England  specially  hard? 


Chapter  XXII. — In  Hungary  and  Other  Countries. 

To-day. 

There  is  a  company  of  people  in  Hungary  now  which  is  in 
spirit  and  in  name  Unitarian.  This  body  has  come  out  of 
many  changes  and  heavy  persecutions,  but  now  it  enjoys  full 
tolerance  and  is  engaged  in  regular  worship  and  active  work. 
These  people  number  about  seventy-five  thousand,  and  they 
have  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  churches.  They  have  a 
Divinity  School  at  Kolozsvar,  and  they  maintain  other  schools. 
Several  religious  papers  are  published. 

Among  these  Unitarians  are  scholars  and  men  of  note  in  the 
state.  The  majority  of  them,  however,  come  from  the  ranks 
of  the  common  people. 

Unitarians  in  England  and  America  have  maintained  a  close 
and  friendly  relation  with  those  in  Hungary,  and  have  assisted 
in  their  enterprises.  For  many  years  their  honored  bishop 
was  Joseph  Ferencz. 

The  Unitarian  Church  in  Hungary  differs  from  the  church 
in  other  countries  mainly  in  its  form  of  government.  This  is 
something  like  episcopacy.  There  is  a  bishop  over  all  the 
churches.  The  official  bodies  have  a  more  direct  authority  in 
the  control  of  the  churches  and  in  the  management  of  the 
property. 
Unitarianism  in  Poland. 

There  is  now  no  Unitarian  Church  in  Poland,  and  there  is 
no  Poland  as  a  separate  nation.  But  once  Unitarians  were 
prominent  in  the  Polish  nation. 

Laelius  and  Faustus  Socinus  were  natives  of  Italy.  They 
were  of  liberal  mind,  and  taught  doctrines  that  were  known  as 
Socinian, — a  name  which  has  a  close  kinship  with  the  name 
"Unitarian."  Faustus  Socinus  came  to  Poland,  and  taught  his 
beliefs  in  opposition  to  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity,  the  depravity 
of  man,  eternal  punishment,  and  in  favor  of  more  humane  and 
reasonable  ideas.  Churches  were  established  in  Poland,  and 
some  existed  for  about  a  century.  But  Poland  was  mainly  a 
Catholic   country,   and   the    Jesuits   instigated   a   persecution 


44 

against  Socinus,  maltreated  him,  and  destroyed  many  of  his 
papers.     Finally  a  decree  was  passed  to  expel  all  Socinians. 
Transylvania. 

Many  who  fled  from  Poland  settled  in  Transylvania.  Here 
Unitarian  ideas  had  been  proclaimed  by  Laelius  Socinus,  the 
uncle  of  Faustus  Socinus.  Blandrata,  a  noted  physician,  who 
helped  to  spread  the  new  faith  in  Poland,  came  to  Transylva- 
nia. The  court  preacher,  Francis  David,  became  a  convert, 
and  preached  that  the  Father  only  was  God.  There  was  toler- 
ance in  Transylvania  even  when  there  was  oppression  in  many 
other  European  countries.  But  the  tolerance  did  not  last. 
There  were  also  some  differences  among  the  liberals  them- 
selves. Francis  David  became  a  martyr  to  his  faith.  He  died 
in  prison  in  1 579.  The  Unitarians  were  robbed  of  many  of  their 
churches  through  the  intrigues  of  the  Jesuits.  They  were  op- 
pressed for  nearly  a  century,  but  regained  their  liberty  under 
the  more  liberal  emperor,  Joseph  II.,  in  1780.  Transylvania 
became  a  part  of  Hungary  in  1868,  and  since  then  their  privi- 
leges have  been  generally  maintained. 
Other  Countries. 

In  Germany  there  is  no  church  bearing  the  name  "Unita- 
rian," but  many  people  there  hold  liberal  views  and  are  in 
sympathy  with  Unitarians.  The  Protestantenverein,  estab- 
hshed  in  1865,  is  such  a  liberal  organization. 

In  Holland  there  are  many  people  holding  rational  ideas  in 
theology,  and  many  churches  are  openly  in  sympathy  with 
Unitarian  principles. 

In  Switzerland  there  has  been  for  some  time  a  distinct  ten- 
dency toward  liberal  views.  The  Theological  School  at  Ge- 
neva is  now  largely  liberal,  and  there  is  a  society  which  seeks  to 
promote  free  Christianity. 

In  Italy  and  France  there  are  many  individual  liberals  who 
are  preaching  and  believing  what  is  essentially  Unitarianism, 
though  the  name  is  not  taken. 


1.  Where  are  the  countries  named  in  this  chapter? 

2.  Who  was  Francis  David? 

3.  What  of  Unitarianism  in  other  European  countries? 


Chapter  XXIII. — Channing  and  his  Time. 

Conditions. 

We  have  seen  that  in  America  changes  had  been  going  on. 
Dififerences  arose  between  churches,  and  there  were  differences 
within  many  a  church.  The  spirit  of  free  inquiry  was  at  work. 
Opposition  to  Calvinistic  doctrines  was  growing.  The  name 
"Unitarian"  was  much  used.  Many  hoped  that  there  would 
be  no  break  and  that  the  churches  would  gradually  include  the 
liberal  ideas,  but  this  proved  impossible.  The  time  came  when 
sides  had  to  be  taken.  The  Unitarian  name  had  come  to 
stand  for  so  much  that  was  valuable  that  it  could  not  be  al- 
lowed to  be  maligned.  There  must  be  those  who  would  carry 
on  the  spirit  of  the  brave  souls  that  had  dared  and  worked 
thus  far.  In  the  fulness  of  time  Channing^_appeared, 
William  Ellery  Channing. 

The  story  of  Channing's  life  is  not  long,  but  he  was  one  of 
the  commanding  men  of  his  time.     He  was  born  at  Newport, 
R.I.,  in  1780;  was  educated  at  Harvard  College;    at  the  age 
of  twenty-three  became  minister  of  the  Federal  Street  Church 
in  Boston.      He  was  physically  of  slight  stature,  and  during 
most  of  his  life  he  was  in  poor  health.     He  became  known  as  a 
powerful  preacher,  and  was  ranged  on  the  liberal  side.     An 
attack  on  Unitarians  had  been  made.     Channing  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  answer  the  attack.     The  occasion  was  the  ordination  of '> 
Jared  Sparks  in  Baltimore  in  181 9,  where  Channing  preached  ' 
the  sermon.     This  Baltimore  sermon  is  counted  usually  as  a  '^ 
religious   declaration   of   independence.      It     was    an    open 
espousal  of  the   Unitarian   cause.     Channing   there  accepted 
the  name  and  defended  it. 

Channing  also  spoke  on  subjects  of  general  public  interest, 
and  in  that  way  had  a  wide  influence.     He  addressed  working- 
men  on  self-culture,  spoke  against  war,  was  a  stern  opponent  of 
human  slavery.     He  died  in  1842. 
Beliefs. 

The  main  doctrine  with  Channing  was  the  dignity  of  human 
nature.     This  was  maintained  in  opposition  to  the  old  view  of 


46 

the  sinfulness,  or  depravity,  of  human  nature.  "The  greatness 
of  the  soul,  its  divinity,"  he  called  his  one  sublime  idea.  He 
urged  the  use  of  reason  as  a  faculty  given  by  God.  The  best 
way  to  reach  God  is  through  our  own  souls.  In  nature  God  is 
the  living  part  of  a  living  universe.  Because  God's  will  is  the 
perfection  of  virtue,  we  owe  Him  allegiance  and  worship.  Re- 
ligion is  not  something  foreign  entering  mto  us:  it  is  the  soul 
lifting  itself  up  toward  God.  The  spirit  of  piety  is  devotion  to 
the  moral  good. 

Channing  thought  that  Jesus  respected  human  nature,  and 
he  saw  nothing  to  prevent  our  becoming  whatever  was  good 
and  great  in  Jesus.  The  cross  of  Christ  meant  the  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice.  Jesus  was  the  Saviour  in  the  simple  sense  that 
he  was  the  great  emancipator. 
Organizations. 

Not  only  was  the  Unitarian  name  accepted  and  defended, 
but  organizations  were  formed.  The  first  of  these  was  the 
Berry  Street  Conference,  made  up  of  the  liberal  ministers  in 
and  about  Boston.  It  was  formed  in  the  Federal  Street  Church 
in  1820.  A  paper,  the  Christian  Register,  was  begun  in  182 1. 
The  most  important  step  was  the  organization  of  the  American 
Unitarian  Association  in  1825. 
Other  Men  and  Movements. 

Ezra  Stiles  Gannett  was  the  colleague  and  successor  of  Dr. 
Channing.  He  was  an  earnest  worker  in  the  eflfort  to  organize 
the  Unitarians  into  a  working  force.  He  was  the  first  secretary 
of  the  American  Unitarian  Association.  As  a  young  man 
James  Walker,  later  president  of  Harvard  College,  was  active 
in  the  same  direction.  The  Unitarians  began  early  to  work  in 
philanthropy.  This  work  was  led  by  Dr.  Joseph  Tuckerman. 
The  Benevolent  Fraternity  of  Churches  was  founded  for  this 
purpose  in  1834. 


1.  What  were  some  of  Channing's  ideas? 

2.  Why  were  organizations  necessary? 

3.  Why  have  Unitarians  honored  Channing? 


Chapter  XXIV. — Emerson  and  Parker. 

New  Forces. 

Unitarians  came  to  be  recognized  as  a  separate  company  of 
Christian  people,  and  they  carried  on  various  church  activities. 
As  the  time  went  on,  new  influences,  particularly  German  phi- 
losophy and  criticism,  came  to  affect  individual  Unitarians  and 
to  lead  them  in  the  direction  of  greater  rationalism.  This  led 
to  differences  between  the  conservatives,  who  generally  held  to 
the  miraculous  elements  in  the  Bible,  and  the  radicals,  who 
rejected  the  miracles  as  records  of  fact  and  found  no  need  for 
them.  As  the  more  radical  element  prevailed  and  finally  gave 
the  main  direction  to  the  movement,  it  is  along  this  line  that 
we  trace  the  thought  and  life  of  Unitarians. 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

Emerson  was  born  in  Boston;  he  died  in  Concord,  Mass., 
in  1882.  After  he  had  gone  through  school  and  college  and 
had  taught  school  and  had  also  taken  a  course  at  the  Divinity 
School,  he  was  chosen  minister  of  the  Second  Church  in  Boston. 
He  remained  as  minister  only  three  years.  He  resigned  be- 
cause he  could  not  conscientiously  administer  the  communion 
according  to  the  manner  in  which  it  was  observed  in  the  church 
at  that  time.  He  seldom  preached  afterwards,  but  became  a 
public  lecturer  and  writer.  Vet  his  lectures  and  essays  were 
essentially  sermons,  and  in  that  way  he  continued  his  liberal 
ministry.  He  maintained  his  connection  with  the  Unitarians, 
and  in  succeeding  years  most  Unitarian  ministers  found  his 
writings  one  of  their  main  guides  to  faith. 

In  1838  Emerson  delivered  the  annual  address  at  the  Divinity 
School  in  Cambridge,  From  the  position  there  taken  and 
from  the  opposition  which  was  shown  by  some  and  the  approval 
by  others,  this  became  a  noted  address.  Emerson  there  set 
forth  the  naturalness  of  the  religious  sentiment.  God  is,  not 
merely  was.  Each  person  should  acquaint  himself  directly 
with  God.  Man  is  more  than  books,  and  so  more  than  the 
Bible.  Jesus  serves  us  by  his  holy  thoughts.  No  form  of 
words  can  take  the  place  of  the  spirit.     Like  sentiments  are 


48 

found    also  in  such  essays    as  "Self-reliance,"    "The   Over- 
Soul,"  and  in  his  poems. 
Theodore  Parker. 

Parker  preached  from  his  pulpits  practically  the  same  mes- 
sage as  that  of  Emerson,  but  he  put  it  into  a  shape  which  made 
it  more  immediately  effective.  He  was  born  at  Lexington, 
Mass.,  in  1810.  He  had  to  work  his  way  through  school,  but 
passed  at  last  through  Harvard  College  and  Divinity  School. 
In  1837  he  became  minister  of  the  Unitarian  church  in  West 
Roxbury.  His  preaching  showed  the  more  radical  character 
of  what  was  coming,  and  some  of  his  fellow  Unitarians  were 
suspicious  of  him.  But  his  influence  increased,  and  there  was 
a  demand  that  he  should  be  heard  in  Boston.  There  he 
preached  in  Melodeon  Hall,  and  later  in  Music  Hall.  Ill- 
health  came,  and  he  went  abroad  for  rest.  He  died  in  Flor- 
ence, Italy,  in  i860. 

In  1 841  Parker  preached  in  Boston  his  great  sermon  on  the 
Transient  and  Permanent  in  Christianity.  It  took  a  place 
like  Channing's  Baltimore  sermon  and  Emerson's  Divinity 
School  address.  There  he  showed  how  there  were  some  things 
connected  with  Jesus  and  with  Christianity  which  were  peculiar 
to  the  times  and  had  to  pass  away,  but  he  showed,  also,  how 
there  were  elements  suited  to  all  times. 

Parker  had  no  place  for  miracles  in  his  faith.  He  had  no 
need  of  them  to  support  a  truth.  God's  regular  order  was 
beautiful  and  sufficient.  Immortality  was  the  continuation  of 
the  life  of  the  spirit  already  in  the  soul  of  man.  Such  was  the 
drift  of  Parker's  ideas. 

He  was  a  bold  opponent  of  human  slavery,  preaching  and 
working  against  it.  Though  so  outspoken  in  great  causes,  he 
was  one  of  the  most  reverent  of  men.  And  his  radical  preach- 
ing is  matched  by  his  piety,  expressed  and  preserved  in  his 
prayers. 


1.  What  about  Emerson  as  a  Unitarian? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the  transient  and  permanent  in  Christianity? 

3.  Are  miracles  necessary  to  support  a  truth  ? 


Chapter  A' AT. — Later  Developments. 

The  National  Conference. 

In  order  to  create  more  general  interest  in  Unitarian  work, 
the  National  Conference  of  Unitarian  and  Other  Christian 
Churches,  composed  of  delegates  from  each  church,  was  organ- 
ized at  New  York  in  1865.  Rev.  Henry  W.  Bellows,  who  had 
been  at  the  head  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  influential  in  organizing  this  national  body.  There 
were  Unitarians  who  believed  that  the  distinctly  Christian 
character  of  the  Conference  should  be  set  forth  in  its  constitu- 
tion, and  this  was  done.  Others  wanted  a  fellowship  which 
did  not  insist  even  on  the  Christian  name,  and  these  orga- 
nized the  Free  Religious  Association  in  1867. 

The  Western  Unitarian  Conference,  organized  at  Cincinnati 
in  1852,  later  put  forth  its  declaration  of  fellowship  as  inde- 
pendent of  all  dogmatic  tests,  and  welcoming  all  who  wished 
to  work  with  it  in  advancing  the  kingdom  of  God,  or,  as  still 
later  expressed,  in  promoting  truth,  righteousness,  and  love  in 
the  world.  This  discussion  of  the  Christian  position  kept  up 
for  some  time. 

At  the  session  of  the  National  Conference  at  Saratoga, 
N.Y.,  in  1894,  an  agreement  was  reached,  and  the  follow- 
ing expression,  by  unanimous  vote,  was  made  a  part  of  the 
preamble  of  the  constitution:  "These  churches  accept  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus,  holding,  in  accordance  with  his  teaching,  that 
practical  religion  is  summed  up  in  love  to  God  and  love  to  man." 
The  preamble  also  contains  this  statement:  "We  cordially  in- 
vite to  our  working  fellowship  any  who,  while  differing  from 
us  in  belief,  arc  in  general  sympathy  with  our  spirit  and  our 
practical  aims." 
Scholarship. 

Largely  through  the  influence  of  Dr.  F.  H.  Hedge  there  was 
brought  to  America  an  acquaintance  with  German  literature 
and  philosophy.  A  more  sympathetic  knowledge  of  the  non- 
Christian  religions  of  the  world  was  brought  by  James  Freeman 
Clarke    through    his    work,    "Ten    Great    Religions."      Ad- 


5° 

vance  was  made  also  in  Biblical  criticism,  and  among  Biblical 
scholars  were  Dr.  George  R.  Noyes  and  Dr.  Ezra  Abbot. 
The  doctrine  of  evolution  had  a  strong  influence  upon  later 
Unitarian  thought.  This  theory  was  advocated  by  John  Fiske, 
and  especially  set  forth  in  the  Unitarian  pulpit  by  Minot  J. 
Savage.  And  literature  was  so  strikingly  sympathetic  with 
Unitarian  sentiments  that  almost  all  of  the  group  of  most  famous 
American  poets  and  essayists  were  known  as  Unitarians,  and 
contributed  to  the  propagation  of  that  kind  of  religion. 
Education  and  Philanthropy. 

j  The  influence  in  this  direction  continued  to  grow.  The  Uni- 
tarian has  had  a  place  of  prominence  in  the  history  of  Harvard 
University,  President  Eliot  and  other  presidents  before  him 
being  Unitarians.  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe  was  the  leader  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  blind.  Dorothea  Dix  received  from  Channing's 
teaching  the  inspiration  for  her  noble  work  for  the  insane. 
The  Children's  Mission  grew  out  of  the  Howard  Sunday  School. 
Henry  Bergh,  the  organizer  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  was  a  Unitarian.  The  Boston  Young 
Men's  Christian  Union  was  formed  in  1852,  being  the  first 
work  of  the  kind  for  young  men.  It  was  through  Unitarian 
influence  that  Horace  Mann  led  his  educational  reform,  and 
through  the  same  that  the  kindergarten  movement  was  started 
in  America.  From  the  opposition  to  slavery  on  down  through 
civil  service  reform  there  can  be  traced  the  distinctive  work  of 
Unitarians.  The  Lend-a-Hand  Club  is  one  witness  to  the 
great  heart  of  Edward  Everett  Hale. 
An  International  Movement. 

The  Unitarians  were  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  World's 
Parliament  of  Religions  held  at  Chicago  in  connection  with 
the  World's  Fair  in  1893.  It  was  directly  to  Unitarians,  also, 
that  the  impulse  can  be  traced  which  resulted  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  International  Council  of  Unitarian  and  Other 
Liberal  Religious  Thinkers  and  Workers  in  1900. 


1.  How  did  the  National  Conference  settle  its  controversy? 

2.  Why  would  Unitarians  generally  welcome  the  theory  of  evolution? 

3.  How  would  Unitarian  principles  specially  lead  to  philanthropy? 


SECTION   II.     BELIEF„ 

Chapter  XXV I. — General  Position. 
Freedom. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  understand  the  belief  of  Unitarians 
if  we  did  not  take  full  account  of  their  insistence  on  freedom. 
Each  one  has  entire  right  to  choose  what  he  will  believe.  There 
is  no  person  with  power  to  try  any  one  for  heresy.  There  is 
no  fixed  creed  by  which  one  may  be  so  tried  Each  one  is  to 
seek  for  what  is  most  true  to  him,  and  each  one  is  to  be  loyal 
to  his  own  convictions.  Each  one  is  free  to  change  his  belief 
whenever  he  finds  anything  better.  This  freedom  is  not  merely 
permitted  by  Unitarians,  it  is  openly  accepted  and  advocated. 
Unitarians  believe  in  freedom  of  belief. 
Relation  to  Creeds. 

The  various  creeds  of  the  Christian  Church,  such  as  the 
Nicene,  made  in  325  a.d.,  were  formed  at  times  when  freedom 
of  belief  was  not  so  much  thought  about.  It  was  thought 
necessary  to  have  some  fixed  belief  to  which  all  should  conform. 
These  creeds  represented  the  prevailing  belief  of  their  time. 
Unitarians  respect  them  for  their  historic  interest,  but  refuse 
to  consider  them  as  binding  upon  the  people  of  another  time. 
Nor  do  Unitarians  believe  in  accepting  and  repeating  such 
creeds  when  the  language  does  not  express  their  convictions. 
Aiithority. 

To  secure  uniformity  of  belief,  there  are  various  kinds  of 
authority.  In  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  pope  is  the 
final  authority.  In  some  churches  a  creed,  or  some  statement 
based  upon  a  creed,  is  made  to  which  all  are  expected  to  con- 
form. The  Bible  has  been,  by  many,  regarded  as  an  infallible 
rule  to  which  all  must  agree.  The  Unitarian  uses  none  of 
these  forms  of  outward  authority.  His  authority  is  an  inward 
one.  It  is  the  reason  or  the  conscience  that  alone  tells  him 
what  is  true  for  him,  and  he  holds  himself  accountable  to  the 
dictates  of  the  reason  and  conscience.  He  takes  help  from  any 
source  whatever,  but  what  is  accepted  must  at  last  appeal  to 
his  own  mind  and  heart. 


.         52 

Attitude. 

Thus  we  see  that  a  characteristic  of  Unitarians  is  to  be  found 
in  their  general  attitude  toward  beUefs  as  much  as  in  any  par- 
ticular beliefs  which  they  may  hold.  It  is  the  attitude  of  the 
open  mind.  Truth  is  to  be  received  in  many  ways.  The  Uni- 
tarian would  find  truth  which  he  may  use  in  all  the  Christian 
sects.  He  may  find  such  truth  in  the  non-Christian  religions. 
He  may  find  it  revealed  in  literature  or  science  or  philosophy. 
It  may  come  out  of  his  own  experience.  Honest  doubt  is 
respected  by  him.  He  realizes  how  great  the  truth  is,  and 
knows  that  at  best  any  one  can  have  only  a  partial  view  of 
it.  Yet  the  faith  he  has  he  holds  firmly,  and  he  seeks  to 
increase  it.  This  attitude  of  respect  for  truth  is  a  source  of 
reverence  and  proves  useful  in  life. 
Common  Beliefs. 

Holding  to  such  freedom,  Unitarians  have  held  many  opin- 
ions in  common,  and  have  agreed  to  such  common  methods  as 
to  make  it  possible  for  them  to  worship  and  work  together. 
In  this  common  eftort,  statements  of  belief  have  sometimes  been 
made  as  representing  Unitarians  in  a  general  way.  Such  state- 
ments are  helpful  to  themselves  and  informing  to  others.  They 
give  an  idea  of  what  Unitarians  individually  accept  and  em- 
phasize. But  in  no  case  are  such  statements  intended  to  be 
binding  or  final.  They  are  for  use.  Whenever  any  one  sets 
forth  a  statement  of  belief  among  Unitarians,  it  is  to  be  under- 
stood to  be  his  own,  or  his  interpretation  of  the  things  that  are 
commonly  believed  among  them. 

One  statement  which  is  in  very  common  use  is  in  the  form 
of  five  articles,  and  is  called  "Our  Faith":  the  Fatherhood  of 
God,  the  Brotherhood  of  Man,  the  Leadership  of  Jesus,  Sal- 
vation by  Character,  the  Progress  of  Mankind  onward  and 
upward  forever. 

1.  What  is  meant  by  freedom  of  belief? 

2.  What  is  the  inner  authority? 

3.  Of  what  use  are  statements  of  belief? 


Chapter  XXVII. — Belief  about  Man. 

Human  Nature. 

So  marked  are  the  convictions  of  Unitarians  about 
human  nature  that  many  consider  this  beUef  the  most  char- 
acteristic one  of  the  Unitarian  faith.  The  behef  is  that  human 
nature  is  essentially  good.  It  is  directly  opposed  to  the  doc- 
trine held  by  many  that  human  nature  is  essentially  evil.  Man 
is  not  born  in  sin,  but  in  innocence.  Human  nature  is  not 
ruined,  but  is  incomplete.  Man  is  not  by  nature  at  enmity 
with  God.  Indeed,  it  is  in  the  soul  of  man  that  the  very  like- 
ness to  God  is  found,  man  made  in  the  image  of  God.  The 
dignity,  the  worth,  the  capability,  the  divinity,  of  human  nature 
is  insisted  upon  by  Unitarians. 

It  is  in  connection  with  such  a  fundamental  conception  that 
all  ideas  of  sin  are  to  be  made.  There  is  evil  in  the  world. 
Man  does  what  is  wrong.  There  is  punishment  for  wrong. 
Punishment  works  according  to  law.  All  punishment  for  sin 
is  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  wrong-doer  back  to  virtue. 
Sin  is  a  part  of  the  incompleteness  of  human  nature. 

So  Unitarians  prefer  to  emphasize  the  inherently  good 
nature  of  man.  He  has  religious  powers  and  aptitudes,  and 
these  are  to  be  educated.  The  reason  is  a  divine  gift.  So  of 
all  the  human  faculties.  With  much  significance  and  with 
profound  reverence  Unitarians  may  say,  We  believe  in  man. 
Development. 

Man  has  come  to  his  present  position  by  a  process  of  devel- 
opment. In  long  ages  he  has  been  coming  up  from  the  lower 
orders  of  life.  This  process  is  evolution.  Man's  present 
position  has  been  gained  by  struggle.  The  evidences  of  this 
development  are  found  written  in  nature,  and  Unitarians  read 
it  there  as  the  word  of  God. 

There  was  thus  no  "fall  of  man,"  as  others  have  believed. 
It  has  been  a  rise  of  man  from  lower  to  higher  conditions  and 
attainments.  This  progress  is  to  go  on,  and  here  comes  in  a 
great  incentive  to  man.  He  can  now  co-operate  intelligently 
in  his  growth  and  betterment.     He  can  help   God.     He  is 


\ 


54 

needed  by  God,  and  is  a  co-worker  with  God.  The  aim  is 
to  get  rid  of  the  lower,  animal  nature,  and  to  win  more  of  the 
spiritual  nature.  No  one  can  tell  what  powers  are  yet  to  be 
developed.  But  to  look  forward  is  appropriate  for  such  a 
believer. 
The  Soul. 

Man  has  become  endowed  with  a  spiritual  nature.  There 
is  a  law  of  right  which  must  be  recognized  and  obeyed.  There 
is  love  which  unites  in  groups  and  families,  and  is  the  strong- 
est element  in  one's  nature.  There  are  hopes  and  aspirations. 
In  these  ways,  man  has  been  growing  more  divine.  Unita- 
rians recognize  in  all  this  process  the  working  out  of  the  won- 
derful plan  of  God. 

This  spiritual  nature  is  what  is  called  the  soul.  Man  has 
powers  which  are  intimately  connected  with  his  physical 
body,  but  are  stronger  than  the  body.  The  soul  has  won  the 
capacity  for  continued  existence,  and  lives  on  after  the  body 
decays.  The  soul  is  the  real  man. 
Brotherhood. 

The  brotherhood  of  man  is  a  cardinal  doctrine  of  Unita- 
rians. It  follows  from  the  fatherhood  of  God;  or,  if  one 
chooses,  he  may  look  in  the  other  direction,  and  say  that  the 
fatherhood  of  God  follows  from  the  brotherhood  of  man. 
Man  is  thus  a  child  of  God.  We  are  by  nature  brothers. 
We  are  parts  of  a  great  whole  in  which  each  one  has  interest 
and  responsibility.  We  must  not  live  for  ourselves  alone,  but 
for  the  common  life  of  which  we  are  parts.  To  establish  more 
fully  the  brotherhood  of  man  is  the  purpose  that  the  Unita- 
rian finds  in  his  idea  of  man. 


1.  Why  are  the  ideas  about  human  nature  so  important? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the  rise  of  man? 

3.  How  can  brotherhood  be  promoted? 


Chapter  XXVIII. — Belief  about  God. 
Believers. 

Unitarians  are  believers  in  God.  The  conceptions  of  God's 
nature  differ  as  held  by  different  people,  but  they  arc  all  be- 
lievers in  that  ultimate  Reality  and  that  spiritual  Presence 
which  men  have  called  God.  They  are  not  atheists,  those 
who  find  no  God.  They  are  not  agnostics,  those  who  think  man 
incapable  of  knowing  whether  there  is  a  God  or  not,  who 
say  neither  yes  nor  no.  They  are  not  infidels,  those  who  are 
without  faith  in  the  beneficence  of  a  Supreme  Power,  Uni- 
tarians do  not  attempt  to  define  God  and  to  describe  His  nat- 
ure as  much  as  some  other  believers  do.  They  recognize 
the  limitations  of  man's  mind.  Yet  they  look  in  the  direc- 
tion oi  positive  belief,  and  give  ready  assent  to  the  belief  in 
God. 
The  Unity  of  God. 

The  belief  in  the  unity  of  God  has  been  a  prominent  feat- 
ure of  Unitarian  history,  and  it  is  held  strongly  by  them.  The 
unity  of  God  stands  mainly  in  opposition  to  the  trinity,  which 
represents  God  in  three  persons,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit. 
Unitarians  find  no  warrant  for  such  a  belief,  and  accept  the 
simpler  and  more  reasonable  idea  of  the  unity  of  God. 

The  unit}'  also  means  monotheism,  a  belief  in  one  God  as 
opposed  to  the  many  gods  of  other  religions. 

The  unity  implies  that  it  is  one  deity  which  all  worship. 
Believers  may  think  of  Him  in  various  ways  and  in  many 
forms,  they  may  give  Him  many  names,  but  in  and  through 
all  He  is  one  God,  revealing  Himself  in  many  ways  accord- 
ing as  man  has  been  able  to  understand  Him. 

The  unity  asserts  one  plan  and  one  purpose  in  all  the  proc- 
esses of  creation.  The  one  purpose  which  has  been  working 
out  in  the  infinite  past  is  now  being  worked  out,  and  is  to 
continue  in  the  infinite  future.  The  God  who  has  caused 
things  to  be,  the  First  Great  Cause,  is  now  causing  things 
to  be,  and  is  day  by  day  carrying  on  His  work.  What  this 
plan  of  the  one  God  is  will  be  understood  better  in  the  future 
than  in  the  past  or  now. 


56 

Nature  oj  God. 

It  is  necessary  for  the  believer  to  think  of  his  Goci  in  the 
highest  way  possible  for  him.  So  God  is  believed  to  be  a 
personal  being  who  thinks  and  wills  and  works  towards  ends. 
We  shape  our  ideas  of  God  after  the  best  we  know,  and  that 
is  man  himself.  Unitarians  do  not  pretend  to  be  able  to 
describe  God  adequately,  yet  they  attach  some  definite  and 
helpful  ideas  to  His  personality. 

God  is  spirit,  an  unseen  but  real  presence.  God  is  infi- 
nite perfection.  Into  this  perfection  are  put  the  highest  qual- 
ities known, — righteousness,  justice,  mercy,  goodness,  and,  pre- 
eminently, love.  All  these  are  summed  up  in  the  name 
most  often  used, — Father.  The  name  is  opposed  somewhat 
to  the  kingly  idea:  it  is  also  opposed  to  the  idea  that  God  is 
a  creature  of  wrath,  and  is  at  enmity  with  man.  God  as 
Father  is  one  who  loves  and  cares  for  us  who  are  His  chil- 
dren. Here  is  the  parental  idea  of  deity:  it  is  the  fatherhood 
of  God.  The  idea  of  the  mother  as  well  as  of  the  father  is 
included  in  the  title  which  means  loving  care. 
Attitude  toward  God. 

Prayer  is  one  of  the  attitudes  which  we  take  toward  God. 
It  is  as  the  child  speaking  to  the  father.  Prayer  is  the  aspi- 
ration of  the  soul ;  and,  when  prayer  is  spoken,  it  is  the  expres- 
sion of  the  aspiration.  Prayer  as  communion  with  God  is  a 
vital  element  in  the  Unitarian  form  of  religion. 

Worship  is  natural  and  fitting  to  the  believer  in  the  Eternal 
God.  Forms  are  useful,  in  so  far  as  they  help  in  sincere  wor- 
ship. But  forms  are  dangerous  when  they  shut  out  the  free 
expression  of  thought  and  feeling.  We  serve  God  best  by 
noble  living  and  by  helpfulness  to  each  other  in  the  common 
life.  Such  are  indications  as  to  how  Unitarians  think  about 
God  and  feel  toward  Him. 


1.  What  do  we  mean  by  the  unity  of  God? 

2.  What  qualities  do  we  connect  with  God? 

3.  What  do  we  owe  to  God? 


Chapter  A'A7A'. — Belief  about  the  World. 

What  It  Is. 

It  is  a  large  world  in  which  we  live.  Man  is  a  part  of  it. 
The  earth  belongs  to  it.  The  sun,  the  planets,  the  stars,  are 
parts  of  it.     It  reaches  out  into  infinite  space. 

More  particularly  we  call  our  world  that  system  of  which 
the  sun  is  center  and  about  which  the  planets,  including 
our  earth,  revolve.  The  sun  gives  light  and  heat  to  our  earth. 
But  the  stars  are  also  suns,  and  there  are  other  systems  out 
beyond  our  own. 

It  is  a  universe  in  which  we  live,  a  system  with  a  center  about 
which  it  moves.  Now  this  world  is  all  God's  world,  and  is 
essentially  good.  Just  as  we  said  of  man,  who  is  a  part  of  this 
world,  that  his  nature  was  not  evil,  but  good,  so  Unitarians 
would  say  of  the  world  that  its  nature  is  divine. 
How  It  Came. 

All  processes  reach  back  into  mystery.  No  one  can  explain 
the  beginnings  of  things.  Yet  the  methods  of  world  making 
can  be  somewhat  traced  out  in  the  records  left  in  nature.  Mill- 
ions of  years  in  the  past  the  sun  threw  off  a  part  of  itself,  and 
this  cooled  and  became  the  earth.  Here  life  developed,  and 
finally  man  came  to  be.  This  process  is  called  creation.  It  is 
God's  way  of  making  the  world.  It  is  in  accordance  with  the 
plan  of  the  Eternal.  But  no  final  explanation  can  be  given, 
and  we  would  say,  as  the  ancient  Hebrews  said  in  their  account 
of  creation,  "In  the  beginning  God." 
Law. 

Our  world  is  under  the  control  of  law.  Universe  means 
order.  The  physical  worlds  are  held  in  their  courses  by  an  in- 
visible power  whose  working  is  set  forth  as  the  law  of  gravi- 
tation. Law  runs  through  all  physical  and  spiritual  life.  It  is 
so  ordained  of  God.  This  law  is  God's  law.  It  is  the  means 
of  order  in  the  world.  Only  by  the  working  of  these  laws  are 
we  assured  of  safety.  A  Unitarian  would  emphasize  the  neces- 
sity and  the  beauty  of  this  law.  Some  people  have  believed  in 
miracles,  by  which  is  meant  the  breaking  of  law.     It  is  thought 


58 

that  God  would  break  a  natural  law  to  show  His  power  or 
make  known  a  truth.  But  God  does  not  and  cannot  break 
these  laws.  They  are  the  laws  of  His  own  being  and  nature. 
Whatever  wonderful  things  have  happened  have  all  come  to 
pass  in  accordance  with  the  laws  we  know  or  of  laws  which 
have  not  yet  been  fully  understood. 
Mail's  Home. 

Man  Hves  in  this  large  world.  He  should  have  a  feeling  of 
wonder  toward  the  Supreme  Power  who  controls  it.  On  the 
earth  man's  own  life  developed.  It  would  seem  that  it  was  in 
the  divine  plan  that  man  should  find  here  a  home.  Here  he 
has  formed  institutions  and  governments.  Out  of  the  instincts 
of  his  soul  and  his  thoughts  about  the  world  he  has  shaped 
religions.  And  although  there  are  many  things  which  he  can- 
not understand  and  many  things  that  are  cruel,  he  thinks  of 
this  world  as  his  home  during  his  physical  life.  Here  he  has 
found  another  law,  the  moral  law.  To  this  he  must  give  obe- 
dience. And,  as  he  discovers  and  obeys  these  higher  laws,  he 
grows  more  worthy  and  more  divine. 
A  Better  World. 

But  we  need  not  think  this  world  perfect  because  it  is  essen- 
tially good.  It  is  imperfect.  God's  creation  is  not  finished. 
To  the  Unitarian's  view,  creation  is  still  going  on.  God  is 
working  out  toward  some  end  which  we  cannot  as  yet  see. 
And  it  is  for  man  to  take  his  place  as  a  helper  in  this  world- 
making.  He  must  reclaim  deserts  and  make  them  fruitful. 
What  seems  wrong  he  must  make  right.  The  conditions  of 
living  in  the  world  are  to  be  improved.  The  Unitarian  finds 
an  explanation  of  the  imperfect  conditions  in  the  thought  that 
God's  work  is  not  yet  finished  and  that  we  may  help  in  making 
this  a  better  world. 


1.  What  is  a  universe? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  law  and  miracle? 

3.  Is  the  world  finished? 


Chapter  XXX. — Belief  about  Immortality. 

Ajter  Death. 

Unitarians  hold  firmly  to  a  belief  in  a  life  after  death.  They 
\ary  much  as  to  the  reasons  for  so  believing,  and  also  as  to 
just  what  we  may  expect  that  life  to  be,  but  these  are  non- 
essentials. Death  is  not  the  end:  it  is  an  incident  in  the  con- 
tinued existence  of  the  soul.  This  continued  existence  is  a 
personal  one.     The  individual  lives. 

This  belief  docs  not  depend  upon  a  physical  resurrection. 
The  body  decays  and  returns  to  its  elements  in  nature.  But 
there  is  in  man  a  soul  which  can  exist  separately  from  the  body. 
It  is  in  this  direction  that  Unitarians  look  for  the  sources  of 
their  hope  and  faith. 

To  most  Unitarians  this  is  a  matter  of  reasonable  faith. 
Such  a  hope  of  another  life  exists,  and  it  seems  only  reasonable 
that  it  should  be  satisfied.  There  are  hints  and  suggestions 
from  nature  and  from  our  own  selves  which  issue  in  a  strong 
conviction  that  there  is  life  after  the  change  which  is  called 
death.  Some  believe  that  they  have  evidence  in  the  form  of 
communication  between  those  who  have  died  and  those  who 
are  still  living. 
The  Immortal  Life. 

But  our  attention  is  directed  to  the  future  life  not  merely  or 
mainly  as  a  continued  existence,  but  to  that  life  as  a  continua- 
tion of  this  life.  There  is  a  great  change  indeed,  but  there  is 
also  an  intimate  connection  with  what  we  are  here.  The  im- 
mortal life  is  a  present  reality,  to  be  lived  and  felt  in  this  world. 
It  is  eternal  life,  life  now  and  forever. 

So  the  idea  of  the  divineness  of  the  soul,  so  much  emphasized 
in  Unitarian  belief,  is  closely  connected  with  the  idea  of  im- 
mortality. The  immortal  life  is  not  something  given  to  us  at 
death,  but  is  the  continuance  of  what  has  already  been  in  the 
soul,  only  under  new  conditions.  The  general  belief  would 
be  summed  up  in  this  statement:  We  are  immortal  souls. 
What  Is  To  Be. 

Here,  generally,  Unitarians    do   not    dogmatize    or    profess 


6o 

knowledge  of  the  unseen  world.  They  are  content  to  rest 
with  the  conviction  that  we  shall  live,  and  then  to  trust  God 
for  doing  what  is  best  for  His  children.  Certain  thoughts, 
however,  come  out  into  prominence. 

The  word  "heaven"  is  often  used  as  a  name  for  the  future 
life.  No  place  is  meant,  but  the  term  expresses  the  idea  of 
blessedness.  The  word  "hell"  has  no  place  in  the  Unitarian 
vocabulary  except  as  a  description  of  bad  conditions.  The 
Unitarian  knows  nothing  of  an  absolute  separation  between 
the  saved  and  unsaved,  the  good  and  the  bad.  Souls  somehow 
go  on  together,  and  none  are  cast  out  from  happiness.  And 
such  a  life  would  not  seem  to  fulfil  the  reasonable  hopes  of 
man  nor  fit  the  idea  of  God  unless  it  could  be  a  hfe  in  which 
we  remember,  know  each  other,  and  have  something  to  do. 
Progress. 

In  this  way  it  has  come  about  that  a  very  definite  idea  of 
progress  has  been  connected  in  the  minds  of  Unitarians  with 
immortality.  The  life  is  not  to  be  one  of  idleness  or  of  entire 
rest,  but  there  will  be  something  the  doing  of  which  is  worth 
while.  We  are  to  improve  there  as  here.  The  highest  ideals 
of  the  present  life  are  carried  over  into  what  is  called  the  other 
life.  Instead  of  a  fixed  condition,  in  which  everything  ends 
as  it  is  left  here  and  remains  so  forever,  the  Unitarian  believes 
that  progress  must  go  on  there  as  here.  The  details  no  one 
assumes  to  know,  but  the  idea  is  accepted  as  reasonable.  In 
"Our  Faith"  the  belief  in  immortality  is  described  as  "the 
progress  of  mankind  onward  and  upward  forever."  And  it  is 
for  us,  in  the  light  of  this  faith,  to  improve  and  to  cultivate 
the  spiritual  qualities  as  the  best  preparatiop  for  what  is  to 
come. 

1.  What  is  death? 

2.  How  do  the  beliefs  in  man  and  immortality  agree? 

3.  What  do  we  want  in  the  future  life? 


Chapter  A'A'AY. — Belief  about  Jesus. 

Leader,  Teacher,  Inspirer. 

In  some  such  words  Unitarians  would  express  their  behef 
in  Jesus.  They  make  much  of  him;  they  study  the  records 
of  his  life  and  his  teachings;  they  honor  him  by  special  ob- 
servances; they  profess  themselves  his  followers;  and,  after 
the  name  of  Christ  given  to  him,  they  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians. Though  they  must  differ  widely  from  many  other 
Christians  in  their  beliefs  about  him,  they  claim  the  right  to 
place  him  before  them  as  a  leader,  to  get  directions  for  liv- 
ing from  his  teachings,  and  to  feel  the  inspiration  for  all  life 
which  comes  from  acquaintance  and  companionship  with 
him. 
His  Humanity. 

Others  have  set  forth  so  prominently  the  doctrine  that  Jesus 
was  God  that  it  has  been  necessary  for  Unitarians  to  say  that 
to  them  he  was  not  God.  The  idea  of  the  unity  of  God  has 
excluded  Jesus  from  the  godhead.  Instead  they  have  be- 
lieved in  his  humanity.  This  has  seemed  not  only  more  rea- 
sonable, but  more  helpful  as  well.  What  he  did  was  real, 
and  so  he  becomes  an  example  to  men  of  what  they  may  do. 
He  was  a  master  of  spiritual  things,  and  showed  to  man  what 
he  may  become. 

But  Unitarians  mean  very  much  when  they  think  of  him 
as  a  man.  Some  have  thought  of  him  as  a  man  specially 
endowed  with  supernatural  powers.  But  most  Unitarians 
claim  for  him  a  strict  humanity.  It  should  be  remembered, 
however,  that  they  believe  in  humanity  not  as  depraved,  but 
as  noble  and  divine.  The  powers  of  a  normal  man  are  great, 
and  no  one  can  describe  their  limits.  Jesus  had  the  spiritual 
power  wonderfully  developed.  The  greatness  of  human 
nature  has  given  significance  to  the  humanity  of  Jesus. 

We  may  regard  Jesus  as  divine  without  believing  that  he 
was  God  or  without  denying  his  humanity.  Divinity  repre- 
sents humanity  at  its  highest,  where  it  is  in  touch  with  the 
infinite;  and  many  would  want  often  to  speak  of  Jesus  as 
divine. 


62 

Names. 

The  simple  name  "Jesus"  is  the  one  most  commonly  used. 
The  Messianic  title  "Christ,"  is  also  used  because  of  its  historic 
connection  and  of  the  ideal  conception  suggested  by  it.  He 
may  be  called  Saviour  in  the  sense  that  he  helps  men  out  of 
their  difficulties  and  sins.  He  is  son  of  God  in  the  sense  in 
which  all  are  children  of  God.  God  was  incarnate  in  him 
in  the  sense  in  which  God  is  incarnate  in  every  one  or  in  all 
humanity.  He  is  called  Lord  by  some  who  use  it  as  a  title 
of  great  honor.  Yet  to  most  Unitarians  these  titles  do  not 
appeal  as  strongly  as  do  the  simpler  ones,  like  brother  and 
friend. 
His  Life. 

It  is  upon  his  life,  rather  than  in  any  mystical  way  upon  his 
death,  that  Unitarians  would  place  the  emphasis  in  their  faith. 
It  was  his  loyalty  to  the  truth  which  led  to  his  death  by  cruci- 
fixion. The  cross  is  a  symbol  of  utmost  loyalty  and  self- 
sacrifice. 

Jesus  found  his  strength  in  his  religion.  God  was  very 
near  to  him;  and  he  prayed  to  God  as  his  Father,  and  taught 
others  so.  His  teachings  grew  out  of  his  life,  as  it  was  thus 
closely  related  to  God.  He  helps  us  through  his  teachings  and 
through  the  wonderful  life  which  he  lived. 
A  Christian. 

To  be  a  Christian  is  certainly  not  merely  to  name  his  name 
and  to  make  a  public  profession.  It  may  not  be  in  doing  just 
what  Jesus  did  in  Palestine.  Times  have  changed,  and  new 
conditions  have  come.  But  the  principles  of  love  and  good 
will  taught  and  lived  by  Jesus  are  suited  to  any  age  and  are 
needed  in  the  complex  life  of  our  day.  To  be  a  Christian  is 
to  catch  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and  to  devote  one's  self  to  wor- 
ship and  service,  to  God  and  humanity. 


1.  What  is  meant  by  the  humanity  of  Jesus? 

2.  What  is  the  cross? 

3.  How  does  Jesus  help  us  to-day? 


Chapter  XXXII. — Belief  about  the  Bible. 

A  Sacred  Book. 

The  Bible  is  regarded  by  Unitarians  as  one  of  the  sacred 
books  of  the  world.  It  is  given  supreme  regard  because  it 
is  the  sacred  book  of  their  religion.  And  this  holy  character 
is  thought  of  by  them  as  derived  not  from  any  supernatural 
origin  or  official  act,  but  from  its  inherent  worth  and  from 
its  personal  and  historical  associations.  These  scriptures  are 
far  nobler  than  the  other  great  scriptures.  So  Unitarians 
give  to  the  Bible  a  unique  place  among  books  and  make  special 
use  of  it  in  their  study  and  in  their  public  services. 
Private  Judgment. 

Unitarians  are  among  those  who  believe  in  the  right  of  pri- 
vate judgment  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  words  of  the  Bible. 
No  authority  is  to  interpret  it  for  us,  but  each  one  has  the  right 
to  form  his  own  judgment.  Reason  is  to  them  here,  as  every- 
where, the  supreme  guide.  They  try  to  find  out  and  accept 
the  plain  and  natural  meanings. 

But  private  judgment  with  Unitarians  goes  beyond  the 
covers  of  the  Bible,  and  seeks  to  find  the  word  of  God  which 
is  written  elsewhere  as  well  as  in  the  Bible.  Against  the 
doctrine  that  we  may  accept  what  we  will  as  long  as  we  accept 
what  is  in  the  Bible  Unitarians  would  here,  as  everywhere, 
assert  that  we  may  accept  what  we  will  as  long  as  we  accept 
what  we  think  true,  whether  it  is  in  the  Bible  or  out  of  it. 
Interpretation. 

The  Bible  is  not  an  infallible  book, — a  book  without  error; 
and  so  it  cannot  be  an  infallible  guide  in  faith  and  conduct. 
To  try  to  make  it  such  injures  the  Bible  itself.  It  has  so  much 
wisdom  in  it  that  it  becomes  a  most  helpful  guide. 

It  must  be  interpreted  by  the  same  methods  which  are  used 
in  all  writings.  Historical  criticism  must  be  applied  to  it. 
Such  methods  find  some  errors,  some  crude  conceptions,  many 
legends.  But  it  is  the  record  of  a  life  of  a  peculiarly  religious 
people,  the  Hebrews,  who  gave  great  ideas  to  the  world.  They 
were  not  perfect,  and  so  the  story  of  their  religion  is  not  per- 


64 

feet.  The  New  Testament  is  an  account  of  the  life  of  Jesus 
and  the  beginnings  of,  Christianity.  Here  also  are  features 
which  belong  to  the  times.  But  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
Bible  there  is  much  that  is  of  permanent  value  and  peculiarly 
fitted  for  guidance  in  faith  and  conduct.  To  a  Unitarian  a 
thing  is  not  true  because  it  is  in  the  Bible:  he  reveres  and 
studies  the  Bible  because  there  is  so  much  truth  in  it. 
Revelation. 

The  Bible  may  be  regarded  as  a  revelation  of  God.  But 
revelation  does  not  belong  only  to  one  people  and  one  book. 
Revelation  of  God  has  always  been  made  and  is  being  made 
to-day.  The  Bible  is  thus  a  part  of  the  revelation  of  God, 
the  making  plain  of  what  God  is  and  what  He  would  have 
us  do. 

So  the  writers  of  the  Bible  were  inspired,  were  peculiarly 
gifted  for  their  task,  but  only  as  others  have  been  peculiarly 
gifted  for  their  tasks.  The  Bible  holds  its  place  of  deserved 
prominence  because  of  the  intensity  of  the  inspiration  felt  by 
its  writers, — not  a  different  kind,  but  stronger. 
Using  the  Bible. 

Unitarians  do  not  put  as  much  weight  as  some  others  do 
upon  the  verses  or  texts  of  the  Bible.  These  are  helpful  for 
illustration,  but  not  for  proof.  Yet  there  are  certain  texts 
which  they  emphasize  as  representing  their  faith.  They  would 
cite  such  passages  as  Micah  vi.  8;  Psalms  xxiii.  and  cxxxix. ; 
Mark  x.  i8,  xii.  29-31;  John  iv.  24;  i  Corinthians  xiii.; 
James  i.  27.  These,  and  many  others  like  them,  represent 
their  faith.  And  whole  sections  may  be  chosen  for  a  like 
purpose:  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  parables  of  Jesus, 
the  stories  of  the  Prodigal  Son  and  the  Good  Samaritan,  the 
Ten  Commandments.  But  it  is  the  main  spirit  of  the  Bible, 
rather  than  texts  or  chapters,  which  is  accepted  and  used  as 
a  help  in  living. 


1.  In  what  way  is  the  Bible  a  holy  000k  ? 

2.  What  is  private  judgment? 

3.  What  passages  in  the  Bible  do  Unitarians  emphasize  ? 


SECTION   III.     ORGANIZATION. 
Chapter  XXXIIL—Cbjirckes. 

Where. 

In  America  the  largest  group  of  Unitarian  churches  is  in 
New  England,  and  the  largest  group  there  in  Massachusetts. 
This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  here  is  where  the  movement  began 
in  this  country. 

In  the  Middle  States  there  are  a  few  Unitarian  churches 
which  were  early  organized,  and  many  have  been  added  by 
missionary  efforts.  Dr.  Channing  preached  in  a  parlor  in 
New  York,  and  a  church  was  organized  in  1819,  now  All 
Souls'  Church,  of  which  Henry  W.  Bellows  was  for  a  long  time 
minister.  Under  Dr.  Priestley  a  congregation  was  gathered 
at  Northumberland,  Pa.,  in  1794. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  country  a  few  churches  were  started 
in  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  church  in  Cin- 
cinnati was  started  in  1830,  the  church  in  St.  Louis,  of  which 
Rev.  William  G.  Ehot  was  long  minister,  in  1834,  and  the 
first  church  in  Chicago  in  1836.  Other  churches  followed 
gradually,  but  many  are  of  recent  growth. 

In  the  South,  which  is  very  conservative,  there  are  only  a 
few  Unitarian  churches.  The  Charleston  (S.C.)  church  was 
started  in  181 7.  The  churches  in  Baltimore,  New  Orleans, 
and  Washington,  had  their  beginnings  about  the  same  time. 

In  the  farther  West  many  churches  have  been  started  in 
recent  years.  The  first  church  in  San  Francisco  was  formed 
in  1850.  Its  minister,  Starr  King,  is  said  to  have  saved  Cali- 
fornia to  the  Union  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  War.  Dr.  Horatio 
Stebbins  was  minister  of  the  church  for  many  years. 

There  are  also  Unitarian  churches   in  important  places  in 
Canada. 
Names. 

Unitarian  churches  have  various  names.  In  many  the 
name  "Unitarian"  does  not  occur.  Some  are  called  Congre- 
gational.    In  England  the  name  "Presbyterian"  is  used  in 


66 

the  same  way.     The  names  "Unity,"  "All  Souls,"  "Channing," 
and  the  like  are  found.     There  is  no  fixed  custom. 
Government. 

In  the  older  churches  the  dual  form  of  organization  exists. 
In  this  the  society  or  parish  represents  the  pew-holders  as 
subscribers,  and  the  church  is  the  spiritual  body,  made  up  of 
those  who  have  joined  by  profession  of  faith,  and  are  communi- 
cants, or  those  who  have  signed  the  covenant  or  bond  of  fel- 
lowship. In  the  newer  churches  this  double  form  of  organi- 
zation docs  not  exist,  and  efforts  have  been  made  to  do  away 
with  it  in  the  older  churches. 

Each  church  is  independent,  and  conducts  its  own  affairs. 
•.This  is  done  usually  under  a  constitution  and  by-laws  and  by 
means  of  officers  and  a  standing  committee  or  board  of  trus- 
tees. 
Covenants. 

The  bond  which  unites  the  church  is  called  a  covenant  or 
bond  of  fellowship  or  union.  The  covenants  of  some  of  the 
first  churches  were  very  simple,  and  have  been  retained.  The 
covenant  of  the  First  Church  of  Salem,  formed  in  1629,  is  as 
follows:  "We  covenant  with  the  Lord,  and  with  one  another: 
and  do  bind  ourselves,  in  the  presence  of  God,  to  walk  together 
in  all  His  ways,  according  as  He  is  pleased  to  reveal  Himself 
unto  us  in  His  Blessed  word  of  Truth." 

A  bond  of  fellowship  which  is  in  common  use  to-day  was 
(originally  shaped  by  Rev.  Charles  G.  Ames:  "In  the  freedom 
of  truth  and  in  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  unite  for  the 
Worship  of  God  and  the  Service  of  Man." 
Membership. 

This  is  not  so  exact  or  so  much  insisted  upon  in  Unitarian 
churches  as  in  others.  But  it  is  a  growing  custom  to  make 
more  of  such  membership,  and  many  churches  rightly  urge 
the  importance  of  definitely  joining  the  church  and  of  publicly 
showing  loyalty  to  it  in  this  way. 


1.  Why  are  there  so  many  Unitarian  churches  in  New  England? 

2.  What  is  the  use  of  a  covenant? 

3.  Should  new  churches  be  started? 


Chapter  XXXIV. — General  Organizations. 

National  Conjcrcnce. 

The  National  Conference  of  Unitarian  and  Other  Chris- 
tian Churches  is  mainly  a  deliberative  body.  It  represents  all 
the  churches.  Each  church  may  appoint  delegates  not  exceed- 
ing three  in  number.  It  meets  every  two  years  at  places  ap- 
pointed by  the  Council,  which  is  its  governing  body,  it  ap- 
points fellowship  committees  for  different  sections  of  the 
country,  and  with  these  committees  rests  the  decision  as  to 
the  acceptance  of  men  and  women  into  the  ministry  of  the 
denomination. 
Unitarian  Association. 

The  American  Unitarian  Association  is  the  business  and 
missionary  society  in  America.  Its  headquarters  have  been 
for  many  years  at  25  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass.  It  has 
permanent  funds,  and  is  also  supported  by  yearly  contribu- 
tions from  the  churches.  Contributing  churches  are  entitled 
to  be  represented  by  delegates  at  its  meetings.  The  object 
of  the  Association,  as  expressed  in  its  by-laws,  is  "to  diffuse 
the  knowledge  and  promote  the  interests  of  pure  Christianity." 
British  and  Foreign  Association. 

The  British  and  Foreign  Association  is  the  corresponding 
society  in  Great  Britain,  and  is  engaged  in  similar  work.     Its 
headquarters  are  on  Essex  Street,  London. 
Sunday-School  Society. 

The  Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society  was  organized  in 
Boston  in  1827.  Its  aim  is  to  promote  the  interests  of  Sunday 
Schools  and  to  furnish  materials  for  religious  education.  Lesson 
and  service  books  are  published,  as  well  as  a  paper,  Every 
Other  Sunday.  The  headquarters  are  at  25  Beacon  Street, 
Boston,  and  Western  headquarters  are  maintained  at  175 
Dearborn  Street,  Chicago. 
National  Alliance. 

The  National  Alliance  of  Unitarian  and  Other  Liberal  Chris- 
tian Women  is  a  very  efficient  organization  of  Unitarian  women. 
It  was  formed  in  1890.     The  peculiar  feature  of  the  work  is 


68 

called  the  Post-office  Mission.     By  this  is  meant  the  sending 
of  Unitarian  literature  by  mail  to  those  who  are  interested  in 
it.     A  great  work  for  liberal  religion  has  thus  been  done. 
Young  People. 

The  Young  People's  Religious  Union  is  a  national  body  in 
America,  and  was  formed  in  1896.     The  cardinal  principles  of 
the  body  are  Truth,  Worship,  and  Service.     It  is  composed 
of  the  individual  societies  of  young  people  in  the  churches. 
Conferences. 

There  are  sectional  conferences  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  various  parts  of  the  country  and  working  with  the  national 
organizations. 

The  main  ones  are  the  Unitarian  Conference  of  the  Middle 
States  and  Canada,  with  headquarters  in  New  York;  the  West- 
ern Unitarian  Conference,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago;  the 
Pacific  Unitarian  Conference,  with  headquarters  in  San  Fran- 
cisco; the  Southern  Conference  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  Con- 
ference. There  are  also  many  state  and  local  conferences. 
Papers. 

The  Christian  Register  is  the  main  denominational  paper, 
and  is  published  weekly.     The  Unitarian  is  a  monthly,  the 
Pacific  Unitarian  is  a  monthly.     There  are  other  papers  of 
a  more  local  character. 
{Schools. 

Unitarians  have  no  denominational   colleges.     There  is  a 
Unitarian  Theological  School  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  and  one  at 
Berkeley,  Cal.     The  Harvard  Divinity  School  produces  many 
of  the  Unitarian  ministers. 
Other  Bodies. 

There  are  many  other  organizations,  such  as  The  Unita- 
rian Temperance  Society,  Society  for  Ministerial  Relief,  The 
Historical  Society,  men's  clubs  devoted  to  special  purposes. 


1.  What  is  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society? 

2.  How  is  your  church  connected  with  the  national  organizations  ? 

3.  How  are  organizations  useful? 


Chapter  A'A'Al'. — Worship. 
Forms. 

Like  the  other  branches  of  the  Christian  Church,  Unitarians 
maintain  pubhc  worship,  generally  on  Sunday  morning  and 
sometimes  both  Sunday  morning  and  evening.  The  forms  of 
worship  vary.  Here,  again,  in  custom,  as  in  belief,  there  is 
no  authority  to  compel  uniformity,  even  if  it  should  be  wished. 
The  unity  is  one  of  spirit.  In  some  churches  the  order  of 
service  is  very  plain,  according  to  the  old  Puritan  tradition: 
in  others  various  forms  of  responsive  readings  and  choral 
responses  have  been  used.  Unitarians  naturally  avoid  any- 
thing that  is  mainly  for  the  sake  of  the  form,  but  there  is 
among  them  a  wholesome  tendency  to  make  the  service  more 
beautiful  and  more  shared  by  all  the  people. 
Special  Observances. 

The  Communion  Serv^ice,  or  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  observed 
by  many  Unitarian  churches,  but  not  by  all.  Those  observing 
it  use  different  forms,  some  holding  the  service  even  without 
the  use  of  bread  and  wine.  Those  who  celebrate  it  in  any 
way  regard  it  as  a  service  of  remembrance  and  as  a  helpful 
symbol.  It  is  not  obligatory  upon  church  members,  and  all 
are  invited  to  take  part  in  it  who  find  it  significant  and  help- 
ful to  them. 

Baptism  is  also  a  custom  in  the  use  of  which  churches  vary. 
When  practised,  it  is  regarded  solely  as  a  symbol.  At  the  pres- 
ent time,  baptism  among  Unitarians  is  commonly  confined  to 
the  christening  of  children,  where  the  form  is  one  in  which  the 
sacredness  of  the  child  is  recognized. 

Christmas  is  almost  universally  observed  among  Unitarians 
because  of  their  devotion  to  Jesus  and  as  a  festival  of  good 
will  and  the  giving  of  gifts.  Easter  is  also  celebrated  in 
the  churches  as  a  festival  of  life  and  immortality.  Other 
days  and  customs  are  observed  by  individual  churches  accord- 
ing to  their  tastes. 
The  Sermon. 

In  the  service  of  worship,  in  which  prayer  and  song  and 
reading  have  their  places,  an  important  feature  is  the  sermon 


70 

by  the  minister.  The  motives  and  methods  of  preaching 
must  vary,  but  the  essential  purpose  of  it  is  to  interpret  life, 
to  recognize  and  explain  the  spiritual  realities,  to  inspire  faith, 
to  bring  the  truth  into  the  service  of  personal  and  social  life. 
Music. 

Unitarians  have  found  difficulty  in  using  much  of  the  great 
music  of  the  world  because  words  have  often  been  such  as  they 
could  not  accept.  Sometimes  they  can  give  their  own  mean- 
ing to  the  words,  and  sing  them  because  of  the  music.  But 
efforts  have  been  made  to  select  and  produce  musical  pieces 
more  in  conformity  to  the  beliefs  of  Unitarians,  and  the  need 
is  being  supplied.  Some  books  of  anthems  for  use  in  liberal 
churches  have  been  published. 
Hymns. 

Unitarians  have  it  to  their  credit  that  they  have  produced 
some  of  the  best  hymns,  and  especially  so  in  recent  years.  They 
have  avoided  a  certain  kind  of  music  called  "gospel  hymns" 
as  being  sentimental  and  unworthy  a  dignified  worship.  They 
use  many  of  the  great  hymns  of  the  church  in  all  its  branches. 
The  well-known  hymn,  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,"  was 
written  by  an  English  Unitarian  woman,  Mrs.  Sarah  Flower 
Adams.  Edmund  H.  Sears  wrote  two  Christmas  hymns  which 
are  widely  used,  "Calm  on  the  listening  ear  of  night"  and  "It 
came  upon  the  midnight  clear."  Julia  Ward  Howe  wrote 
"The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,"  a  national  song  in  Amer- 
ica. Many  noble  hymns  have  come  from  Samuel  Longfellow, 
John  W.  Chadwick,  Frederick  L.  Hosmer,  William  C.  Gan- 
nett, and  others  of  later  times.  Unitarians  have  produced 
many  hymns  and  prayers  which  give  expression  to  a  sincere 
and  rational  piety. 

Much  attention  has  also  been  given  to  the  music  and  forms 
of  worship  for  Unitarian  Sunday  Schools.  This  feature  is 
considered  very  valuable  in  religious  training. 


1.  What  is  characteristic  of  Unitarian  forms  of  worship? 

2.  Why  is  Christmas  observed? 

3.  What  are  some  hymns  written  by  Unitarians? 


Chapter  XXXVL—Tw£.  Fruits. 
Thought. 

Unitarians  have  felt  themselves  a  part  of  the  general  move 
ment  toward  liberal  thinking.  They  have  taken  active  part 
in  the  movement,  welcoming  and  promoting  new  ideas  as  well 
as  carefully  preserving  valuable  old  ones.  They  regard  this 
as  a  valuable  service.  In  such  a  way  other  churches  have 
been  made  broader  and  more  humane  in  their  doctrines  and 
practices.  And  many  outside  of  all  churches  have  been  shown 
that  there  may  be  thorough  critical  inquiry  with  attendant 
doubts,  and  at  the  same  time  a  firm  faith. 
A  Church. 

A  church  has  been  preserved  and  built  up.  This  free  church 
has  offered  a  place  for  some  to  worship  who  had  come  to  hold 
rational  beliefs  and  could  worship  only  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  their  consciences.  Thus  the  church  has  maintained 
and  fostered  the  spiritual  life. 

The  church  has  offered  a  means  for  efficient  work  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  humanitarian  principles  of  its  members. 
Through  its  influence  important  institutions  have  been  founded 
and  maintained. 

Their  beliefs  about  other  great  religions  have  kept  Unita- 
rians from  engaging  in  foreign  missionary  work  to  any  large 
extent.  At  the  request  of  some  Japanese  people  a  mission 
was  started  at  Tokio,  and  this  was  finally  taken  charge  of  by 
the  Japanese  themselves. 
Great  Names. 

As  fruits  of  the  Unitarian  faith,  there  are  many  great  men 
and  women  who  can  be  named  in  America  and  elsewhere. 
Some  of  these  names  have  already  been  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  the  history  of  the  church.  Added  to  them  may  be 
the  names  of  statesmen,  John  Adams,  John  Q.  Adams,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Edward  Everett,  Charles  Sumner,  Daniel  Webster, 
George  W.  Curtis,  George  F.  Hoar,  Dorman  B.  Eaton,  Joseph 
Story,  John  A.  Andrew,  John  Marshall,  Carroll  D.  Wright, 
John  D.  Long,  William  H.  Taft,  and  many  others. 

Among  men  of  science  and  educators  are  such  names  as 


72 

Horace  Mann,  Louis  Agassiz,  Charles  W,  Eliot,  Edward  C. 
Pickering. 

Among  philanthropists  are  Mary  Carpenter,  Dorothea  Dix, 
Samuel  G.  Howe,  Peter  Cooper,  Ezra  Cornell,  Enoch  Pratt, 
Mary  A.  Livermore,  Mary  Hemenway,  Julia  Ward  Howe, 
William  H.  Baldwin,  and  very  many  others. 

In  literature  the  list  is  long.  Some  of  the  names  are  Long- 
fellow, Lowell,  Holmes,  Bryant,  Emerson,  Helen  Hunt  Jack- 
son, Edmund  C.  Stedman,  Bayard  Taylor,  Louisa  M.  Alcott, 
Margaret  Fuller,  Hawthorne,  J.  T,  Trowbridge,  Thomas 
Wentworth  Higginson,  Bancroft,  Motley,  Prescott,  Parkman^ 
Sparks,  John  Fiske. 
The  Measure  of  Success. 

The  number  of  Unitarians  has  always  been  small,  and  they 
rank  now  as  one  of  the  smallest  denominations.  They  have 
disliked  certain  methods  which  tend  to  gain  numbers.  They 
have  neglected  to  press  their  beliefs  forward  as  much  as 
the  beliefs  deserved.  But  even  such  a  small  body  has  had 
a  strong  influence  upon  the  nation  and  the  world;  and  this  is 
the  finest  of  fruits. 
Present  and  Future. 

Unitarians  in  England,  America,  and  elsewhere,  are  de- 
voted to  their  faith.  They  are  growing  in  a  conviction  of  the 
usefulness  as  well  as  the  reasonableness  of  their  faith.  They 
are  organizing  their  free  churches  for  more  efficient  work  and 
for  making  their  principles  more  widely  known  and  better 
understood.  Other  churches  are  showing  more  fellowship 
toward  them,  and  their  own  sympathies  and  co-operation  are 
extending  over  the  world.  In  every  sense  Unitarians  may 
present  their  cause  as  one  in  which  an  earnest  young  man  or 
young  woman  ma^  enlist. 


1.  How  have  Unitarians  helped  the  world? 

2.  What  are  some  of  their  great  names? 

3.  Will  you  take  your  place  within  the  ranks? 


HELPS   FOR   TEACHERS 


HELPS  FOR  TEACHERS. 

Chapter  I. — Christianity. 

1.  The  aim  of  this  course  is  to  get  such  a  view  of  the  great 
reUgions  of  the  world  and  of  the  sects  of  Christianity  as  to 
appreciate  them  in  themselves  and  as  to  prepare  the  way  for 
an  understanding  of  our  own  faith.  To  know  others,  and  in 
comparison  with  others  to  know  our  own  better,  is  the  under- 
lying motive.  It  is  well  to  explain  to  the  pupil  the  whole  plan, 
that  he  may  know  where  he  is  going  and  that  he  is  going 
somewhere. 

2.  Assume  by  attitude  and  word  that  the  course  is  worth 
while.  The  value  of  what  is  to  be  studied  is  so  great  that  we 
can  afford  to  give  time  to  it. 

3.  The  lessons  put  into  the  hands  of  the  pupil  are  simple 
and  short.  Only  such  material  is  placed  there  as  the  pupil 
can  handle,  and  such  as  he  should  learn.  If  what  is  there  is 
learned,  the  main  points  will  have  been  gained.  It  is  better 
to  learn  a  few  things  well  than  to  go  o\'er  much  ground  care- 
lessly. The  teacher  should  see  that  the  lesson  is  known  by 
not  merely  one  in  the  class,  but  by  all.  Go  over  the  same 
thing  with  different  pupils,  varying  the  manner  of  approach. 

4.  Get  the  pupils  to  do  as  much  as  possible  themselves. 
This  is  always  a  good  plan.  And  to  go  over  the  ground  again 
and  again  is  valuable  at  this  age  as  well  as  for  the  younger 
pupils. 

5.  A  lesson  has  been  given  here  on  Christianity  that  we  may 
start  from  what  we  think  best,  and  that  we  may  show  how  the 
attitude  of  sympathy  towards  other  religions  is  Christian. 

6.  A  map  might  be  used  to  show  the  extent  of  Christendom, — 
the  regions  in  which  Christianity  is  found.  Comparison  might 
be  made  by  map,  also,  of  the  regions  known  where  Christianity 
began,  and  of  its  present  extent. 


7-  A  great  modern  event  was  the  meeting  of  the  World's 
Parliament  of  Religions,  held  at  Chicago  in  1893,  in  connection 
with  the  Columbian  Exposition  or  World's  Fair.  Here  repre- 
sentatives from  all  the  religions  of  the  world,  and  from  all 
Christian  sects,  met  together  and  spoke  from  the  same  plat- 
form. The  two  large  volumes  of  the  records  of  these  meetings 
will  be  interesting  material  for  this  course.  They  may  be 
found  in  some  hbraries.  They  are  "The  World's  Parliament 
of  Religions,"  edited  by  J.  H.  Barrows.  They  contain  the 
addresses  and  pictures. 

8.  The  best  small  books  for  the  first  part  of  this  course  are 
Everett's  "Religions  before  Christianity"  and  "The  History 
of  Religions,"  by  E.  D.  Price.  Clodd's  "The  Childhood  of 
Religions"  will  be  found  of  service.  James  Freeman  Clarke's 
"Ten  Great  Religions"  was  one  of  the  first  attempts  to  treat 
the  world  religions  fairly  and  extensively.  It  is  in  two  volumes, 
the  first  one  of  which  is  more  useful  here.  Bousset's  "What  is 
Religion?"  is  valuable.  "The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East," 
containing  translations  of  some  of  the  sacred  books  of  Oriental 
religions,  are  expensive,  but  may  be  found  in  the  better  libra- 
ries. "Religions  Ancient  and  Modern"  is  a  recent  series  of 
small  handy  books  which  treat  accurately  many  of  the  subjects 
of  this  section.  There  are  many  works  on  the  various  religions, 
and  these  are  increasing.  The  teacher  may  well  collect  articles 
and  pictures  from  magazines,  which  will  prove  helpful  in  teach- 
ing. 

Chapter  II. — Primitive  Religions. 

1.  We  are  here  dealing  with  religion  in  its  lowest  forms.  It 
ought  to  be  respected  by  the  pupil.  The  savage  even  is  coming 
in  contact  with  the  unseen  forces  of  the  world,  and  is  trying  to 
explain  them  and  to  do  what  he  thinks  is  required.  Religion 
has  developed,  as  have  all  things,  from  rude  beginnings.  The 
thought  of  evolution  will  here  produce  the  interest  and  respect 
required. 

2.  Have  the  pupils  mention  the  peoples  and  tribes  with 
which    they  may  have   made   acquaintance   in    their   general 


study.  The  Hottentots  and  KalTirs  are  African  tribes.  The 
Sioux,  the  Iroquois,  arc  tribes  of  American  Indians.  The  ones 
that  some  in  the  class  know  about  will  serve  best  for  examples. 

3.  As  information  about  Indians  is  rather  common,  some 
pupil  might  be  asked  to  look  up  their  customs  and  tell  about 
them  in  the  class.  There  might  be  classes,  perhaps  of  boys, 
in  which  some  might  be  asked  to  bring  in  something  about 
Livingstone  and  Stanley  and  their  travels  in  Africa. 

4.  In  some  cases  the  teacher  may  find  it  advisable  to  begin 
with  some  idea  of  our  own,  which  links  us  with  the  lower 
forms.  Take  something  which  is  a  fetich  to  us,  a  book  for 
example,  and  show  how  it  becomes  to  a  person  an  object  of 
such  regard  as  to  be  almost  worshiped.  To  some  people  the 
Bible  becomes  a  fetich. 

5.  Various  words  and  their  meanings  may  be  cited,  and  their 
meanings  made  plain.  A  good  dictionary  will  be  all  that  is 
needed.  For  instance,  the  Century  Dictionary  will  explain  the 
totems.  And  in  Indian  scenes  pictures  of  such  objects  may  be 
found. 

6.  A  fetich  mentioned  by  Bousset  is  a  small  piece  of  an 
anchor  broken  from  a  ship.  It  had  done  some  injury,  and  was 
soon  set  up  as  an  object  of  worship.  The  evil  spirit  in  it,  to 
the  believer  in  it,  had  to  be  appeased. 

7.  The  whole  region  of  magic  as  connected  with  religious 
beliefs  and  ceremonies  may  be  taken  up.  It  should  not,  how- 
ever, be  allowed  to  get  too  far  away  from  the  main  purpose 
of  the  lesson.  Many  people  use  charms  to-day,  and  believe 
in  them. 

8.  For  the  teacher's  guidance.  Chapter  II.  in  Bousset's 
"What  is  Religion?"  will  be  helpful.  The  first  two  chapters 
of  Dr.  Everett's  "Religions  before  Christianity"  will  be  found 
valuable  in  this  lesson.  Clodd's  "Childhood  of  Religions," 
Chapters  V.  and  VI.,  and  Gould's  "Beginnings,"  will  be 
useful. 


Chapter  III. — Religions   of  Greece,  Rome,  and   Egypt. 

1.  Abundance  of  material  is  within  reach  to  describe  the 
gods  of  Greece  and  Rome.  Any  mythology  (Murray  or  Bul- 
finch)  will  give  information.  The  pupil  will  probably  have 
some  knowledge  of  these  religions  gained  from  his  general 
study.  But  the  pupil  should  be  led  now  to  see  that  we  are 
studying  something  more  than  mere  mythology:  we  are  study- 
ing the  religion  of  these  peoples.  This  is  the  way  in  which 
they  found  God,  in  which  God  revealed  Himself  to  them.  The 
opportunity  is  here  to  give  a  deeper  meaning  to  the  facts  which 
the  pupils  may  have  gained  in  their  other  studies. 

2.  Only  a  few  of  the  names  of  deities  are  given  in  the  lesson. 
Ask  for  others  from  the  class,  and,  if  some  one  is  able  to  de- 
scribe some  special  god,  or  hero,  or  feature,  let  him  do  so,  and 
then  go  on  from  there  to  cover  the  whole  ground. 

3.  Come  to  an  understanding  about  idolatry.  The  old  idea 
that  this  is  an  utterly  false  and  degrading  worship  must  be  aban- 
doned. The  Hebrew  religion  spoke  against  the  making  of 
idols  very  strongly.  See  Exodus  xx.  4  and  Isaiah  xliv.  Art 
has  been  encouraged  by  the  making  of  images,  and  sincere 
worship  has  been  offered.  But  spirituality  has  been  hampered, 
and  the  Hebrews  developed  their  wonderful  idea  of  the  one 
God  and  His  spiritual  nature  in  opposition  to  the  many  gods 
and  the  worship  of  their  images. 

4.  Paul  at  Athens,  as  described  in  Acts  xvii.,  should  be 
mentioned.  Use  the  Revised  Version.  Paul  compliments  the 
Greeks  on  being  so  religious.  He  connects  the  God  whom  he 
would  make  known  with  the  unknown  god  whose  altar  he  had 
seen.     Diana  of  the  Ephesians  might  be  described,  Acts  xix.  24. 

5.  The  interest  of  some  pupils  may  be  gained  by  asking 
where  we  get  the  name  of  January.  It  comes  from  the  name 
of  the  Roman  god,  Janus,  the  god  of  the  years.  Likewise 
March  comes  from  Mars. 

6.  The  Egyptian  religion  has  forceful  representations  in  the 
well-known  Sphinx  and  Pyramids.  The  Pyramids  are  tombs, 
mostly  for  royal  personages. 


7-  The  following  description  of  some  person  whose  worth 
is  sanctioned  is  given  in  the  Egyptian  "Book  of  the  Dead": 
"He  hath  given  bread  to  the  hungry,  water  to  the  thirsty, 
clothes  to  the  naked;  he  hath  given  a  boat  to  the  shipwrecked; 
he  hath  given  the  offerings  to  the  gods  and  paid  due  rites  to 
the  departed." 

8.  Pictures  are  available  for  this  lesson,  of  temples,  gods, 
and  places.  Some  classes  may  be  interested  in  collecting 
pictures  for  all  these  lessons,  A  collection  of  permanent  value 
could  be  made. 


Chapter  IV. — The  Hindu  Religion. 

1.  To  get  our  bearings,  it  is  well  to  know  the  region  about 
which  we  are  studying.  India  is  a  large  country,  and  its  pop- 
ulation numbers  millions.  There  are  educated  people  among 
the  natives,  and  there  is  much  gross  ignorance.  The  country 
is  under  British  rule.  Important  cities  are  Calcutta  on  the 
eastern  coast  and  Bombay  on  the  western. 

2.  We  are  now  studying  Oriental  people,  the  people  of  the 
East.  They  are  so  different  from  Western  people  that  it  is 
necessary  to  try  to  see  things  from  their  point  of  view  if  we  are 
to  understand  them  at  all.  Thus  has  come  the  expression,  to 
orient  one's  self;  that  is,  to  put  one's  self  in  the  other's  situa- 
tion, and  try  to  see  things  from  his  point  of  view. 

3.  The  appropriate  chapters  in  the  general  works  already 
mentioned  may  be  consulted.  Other  works  are  Barth's  "The 
Religions  of  India"  and  Williams's  "Hinduism."  Some  in- 
teresting descriptions  of  people  and  customs  may  be  found  in 
M.  D.  Conway's  Autobiography.  In  using  James  Freeman 
Clarke's  "Ten  Great  Religions,"  the  teacher  might  mention 
to  the  pupils  the  value  of  the  work  of  this  Unitarian  minister. 
It  was  among  the  first  attempts  to  study  and  present  the  great 
religions  sympathetically  and  fairly. 

4.  The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East  have  been  translated,  and, 
if  they  are  accessible,  selections  from  the  Vedas  might  be  read 
here.  In  his  book  Dr.  Everett  gives  a  translation  of  a  hymn 
to  Agni,  page  18. 


5.  Hinduism  is  full  of  caste.  This  is  the  division  of  the  people 
into  different  classes  according  to  the  laws  of  Brahmanism. 
There  are  four  main  castes.  The  privileges  and  hindrances 
are  inherited,  so  that  no  one  can  pass  from  one  caste  to  the  other. 
Caste  has  a  blighting  effect  on  the  people,  and  efforts  are  being 
made  to  free  the  Hindus  from  this  self-inflicted  slavery.  This 
is  coming  about  by  education  and  by  reform  movements.  The 
Brahmo  Somaj  works  against  caste. 

6.  Emerson's  poem  "Brahma"  gives  an  interpretation  of 
the  idea  of  the  deity  of  Brahmanism.  It  is  mystical,  but  the 
Oriental  is  mystical.  Brahma  is  all  things,  and  the  human 
soul  finds  its  heaven  in  being  absorbed  in  him.  The  Chris- 
tian God  is  one  of  love,  and  the  Christian  hope  is  of  con- 
tinued personal  existence. 


Chapter  V. — Buddhism. 

1.  The  good  there  is  in  Buddhism  should  be  shown  and  the 
attitude  of  respect  kept.  But  it  has  its  defects,  and  these  should 
be  made  clear.  The  Buddhist  looked  upon  the  present  life 
with  disgust.  His  effort  was  to  escape  from  suffering  and  evil. 
We  look  upon  life  as  good  and  to  be  made  better.  We  seek  to 
mend  the  evil  and  to  alleviate  the  suffering  and  to  remove  the 
causes  of  it.  Buddhism  is  not  suited  to  our  active  Western 
world.  We  may  learn  much  from  it,  but  need  not  become 
Buddhists  to  do  so.  Some  of  the  Buddhist  priests  and  teachers 
are  examples  of  what  the  best  in  their  religion  can  produce. 

2.  Locate  on  a  map  the  places  where  Buddhism  is  found. 
It  has  been  said  that  a  third  of  the  people  of  the  earth  are 
Buddhists.  In  these  regions  the  population  is  dense.  There 
are  some  Buddhists  in  Europe  and  America,  but  not  many. 

Pictures  of  Buddhist  temples  and  of  images  of  Buddha  are 
easily  found,  and  would  add  a  tangible  interest.  See  Perry 
Pictures,  number  1900. 

3.  An  Indian  ruler  Asoka  was  the  Constantine  of  Buddhism. 
He  made  it  powerful  in  the  state.  Under  him  a  council  was 
held  at  Patna,  243  B.C.,  when  it  was  decided  what  books 
should  be  regarded  as  sacred. 


4-  The  tree  under  which  Buddha  sat  when  he  attained  en- 
lightenment was  the  Bo-tree,  in  Gaya.  It  is  a  sacred  spot  to 
the  Buddhist.  A  supposed  rehc  of  Buddha,  a  tooth,  is  pre- 
served in  Ceylon,  and  is  worshiped. 

5.  The  resemblance  suggested  in  question  one  is  that  both 
Christ  and  Buddha  are  titles.  Siddartha  received  the  title 
Buddha,  and  Jesus  received  the  title  Christ.  As  Christianity 
took  its  title  from  the  name  of  its  founder,  so  Buddhism.  In 
question  two  some  resemblances  are  mentioned  between 
stories.  It  is  not  meant  that  either  religion  knew  about  the 
stories  of  the  other.  Christianity  did  not  copy  from  Buddhism. 
Such  stories  grow  up  about  great  characters,  and  like  con- 
ditions bring  somewhat  like  results.  But  it  is  impossible  for 
us  reasonably  to  say  that  the  stories  are  true  in  one  place  and 
not  in  another.  They  are  legends  which  have  tended  to  exalt 
the  great  characters. 

6.  The  story  of  Buddha  is  beautifully  told  in  Edwin  Arnold's 
"The  Light  of  Asia."  His  other  work,  "The  Light  of  the 
World,"  refers  to  Christ.  "The  Gospel  of  Buddha"  and 
"Karma,"  a  story,  both  by  Paul  Carus,  are  interesting.  See 
also  chapters  in  general  works  mentioned. 

7.  A  thought  from  the  Dhammapada:  "All  that  we  are  is 
the  result  of  what  we  have  thought:  it  is  founded  on  our 
thoughts,  it  is  made  up  of  our  thoughts.  If  a  man  speaks  or 
acts  with  an  evil  thought,  pain  follows  him,  as  the  wheel 
follows  the  foot  of  him  that  draws  the  carriage.  ...  If  a  man 
speaks  or  acts  with  a  pure  thought,  happiness  follows  him,  like 
a  shadow  that  never  leaves  him." 

8.  An  interesting  service  on  Saints,  Sages,  and  Seers  \\'ill  be 
found  in  "Unity  Services  and  Songs."  There  are  notes  on 
the  great  religious  leaders. 


Chapter  F/.— Zoroastrianism. 

1.  Each  of  these  religions  has  distinct  characteristics.  The 
pupil  should  get  hold  of  these,  so  that  he  may  know  one  re- 
ligion from  another,  and  not  have  the  beliefs  and  customs  all 
mixed  up.  The  lesson  itself  aims  to  be  clear:  let  the  teacher 
care  for  the  distinctions  between  the  lessons.  It  is  better  to 
go  over  and  over  these  few  main  points  than  to  try  to  give  a 
large  amount  of  information.  The  teacher's  work  is  mainly 
to  have  the  pupil  get  hold  of  the  information  that  is  given. 
Here  the  leader,  Zoroaster,  the  struggle  between  good  and  evil, 
as  suggested  in  question  two,  and  the  customs  about  fire  may 
well  stand  forth  as  features  surely  to  be  kept  in  mind. 

2.  Zoroaster  had  an  earlier  name,  Zarathustra.  It  may 
have  been  some  kind  of  a  title.  It  has  been  held  that 
Zoroaster  never  really  existed,  that  he  was  a  myth.  In  the 
lesson  the  positive  statement  is  left  that  he  was  an  historical 
person.  The  weight  of  evidence  is  strongly  in  favor  of  that 
position,  and  one  is  safe  in  deahng  with  him  as  a  man,  Httle 
as  we  may  know  about  him. 

3.  The  struggle  between  good  and  evil  is  dualism.  There 
is  something  of  truth  in  it  which  must  be  recognized.  We  see 
that  struggle  about  us,  as  the  Persians  saw  it  about  them. 
The  belief  of  the  Christian  is  that  God  is  over  all,  and  that, 
though  we  cannot  always  see  how,  the  evil  must  range  itself 
under  the  control  and  direction  of  God,  who  is,  as  Whittier 
called  him,  "The  Eternal  Goodness." 

4.  The  Ceremonial  law  in  the  Avesta  resembles  the  book 
of  Leviticus.  It  is  not  possible  to  tell  just  how  much  our 
religion  has  taken  over  from  Persian  thought.  Certainly,  the 
angelology  was  developed  by  contact  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  Exile  with  Persians.  So  came  satan  and  much  of 
demonology.  Possibly  some  ideas  of  the  resurrection  may  be 
traced  to  this  source. 

5.  In  later  traditions  of  Zoroastrianism  there  are  found 
birth-stories  which  are  like  some  of  the  legends  about  Buddha 
and  Christ.      All  nature  rejoiced    at    his  birth.     The  child 


laughed  when  it  was  born.  All  this  legendary  matter  is  the 
result  of  the  homage  paid  by  the  believers,  who  thought  that 
their  great  leader  could  not  have  come  into  the  world  in  the 
usual  way  and  that  wonders  must  have  attended  his  birth. 
These  legends  are  found  in  the  Bundehcsh. 

6.  Some  references  to  the  New  Testament  may  add  interest 
and  be  appropriate.  "God  is  light,"  i  John  i.  5.  Against 
ceremonial,  Matthew  vii.  16,  xx.  28.  There  is  some  likeness  in 
various  places,  but  the  spirit  of  Jesus  is  immeasurably  nobler 
than  anything  in  Zoroastrianism,  fine  as  much  of  that  religion 
is. 

Chapter  VII. — The  Religion  of  the  Chinese. 

1.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  teacher  follow  the  lesson  through 
always  as  it  is  given  in  the  pupil's  lesson.  It  is  well  to  vary 
sometimes.  For  instance,  this  lesson  might  be  started  at  once 
by  some  question  about  Confucius  or  about  ancestor-worship. 
Then  from  these  points  the  teacher  may  lead  the  lesson  on  to  all 
the  points. 

2.  Beginning  with  what  is  near  at  hand,  one  could  almost 
anywhere  now  ask  about  the  possible  religion  of  some  Chinese 
near  at  hand.  It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that  many 
of  these  Chinese  in  the  Western  countries  are  not  of  the  best 
classes  and  may  not  represent  Chinese  religion  at  its  best. 

3.  In  China,  as  in  other  countries,  there  are  Christian  mis- 
sionaries and  converts  to  Christianity.  The  question  about 
missionaries  may  come  up.  It  will  be  seen  that  our  view  of 
these  religions  will  not  allow  us  to  send  missionaries  to  tell 
believers  in  them  that  their  religions  are  false  and  Christianity 
only  is  true.  Some  of  these  religions  are  better  than  the  crude 
Christianity  which  the  missionaries  have  preached.  Still, 
missionaries  have  done  good  by  their  schools,  their  doctors, 
and  other  social  influences.  In  recent  times  also  the  general 
attitude  of  missionaries  has  changed,  so  as  to  judge  more 
fairly  and  kindly  these  great  religions. 

4.  All  Chinese  students  must  be  familiar  with  the  teachings 
of  Confucius.     An  examination  in  them  must  be  passed  before 


lO 

one  enters  public  service.  Some  of  the  questions  asked  are 
very  trivial,  and  show  a  wide  departure  from  the  spirit  of  Con- 
fucius himself. 

5.  The  Golden  Rule  should  be  talked  about.  It  does  not 
hurt  this  rule  for  it  to  be  stated  in  the  negative  form.  It 
means  essentially  the  same  as  the  positive  statement  given  by 
Jesus.  Jesus  did  not  copy  it  from  Confucius,  for  he  knew 
nothing  about  Confucius  probably.  It  is  a  noble  sentiment 
reached  by  both  great  teachers  and  set  forth  as  a  short  rule  of 
life. 

6.  There  is  a  Confucian  temple  in  every  Chinese  city  of  a 
certain  rank.  Each  family  has  a  shrine  for  ancestral  worship. 
The  burying-grounds  are  visited  frequently. 

7.  Comparison  with  events  elsewhere  will  help  in  giving  the 
proper  setting.  For  instance,  Confucius  died  nine  years  before 
Socrates  was  born.     He  was  contemporary  with  Buddha. 


Chapter  VIII . — Mohammedanism. 

1.  See  the  part  of  history  in  which  we  now  are.  All  the 
other  religions  studied  began  before  Christianity:  Moham- 
medanism began  after.  We  have  changed  from  B.C.  in  the 
origins  to  a.d.  Mohammedanism  came  about  as  long  after 
Christ  as  Buddhism  and  Confucianism  came  before  Christ. 
Modammedanism  accepts  the  main  part  of  Judaism  and  some 
of  Christianity,  but  it  claims  to  add  another  and  a  greater 
revelation. 

2.  The  name  of  the  prophet  is  spelled  in  various  ways, 
Mahomet,  Muhammed,  etc.  The  common  form  is  used  in 
the  lesson.  So  Koran  is  sometimes  Qurdn.  Islam  is  accented 
on  the  first  syllable;  so  also  Hejira.  Moslem,  Muslim, 
Mussulman,  are  names  given  to  the  follower  of  Mohammed. 

3.  The  Koran,  accented  on  either  the  first  or  last  syllable, 
is  the  one  book  of  Mohammedans.  It  contains  all  kinds  of 
rules  as  well  as  religious  beliefs.  Some  of  Mohammed's  preach- 
ing is  undoubtedly  preserved  in  the  Koran.  If  the  teacher  has 
access  to  a  copy,  let  him  read  from  it  to  the  class.     The  first 


sura  is  said  to  contain  the  essence  of  the  whole.  There  are 
some  good  teachings  and  interesting  stories,  but  on  the  whole 
it  is  a  rather  dreary  waste  to  an  intelligent  person  to-day. 

4.  Mohammed  had  a  dream  in  which  he  was  carried  by 
Gabriel  on  a  winged  horse  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  he  was  in 
the  presence  of  all  the  prophets,  who  welcomed  him  to  their 
number.  He  maintained  that  this  dream  w^as  reality,  and  that 
he  had  actually  visited  Jerusalem  and  heaven.  Many  strange 
stories  have  grown  up  around  him,  such  as  that  trees  went 
forth  to  meet  him. 

5.  This  religion  has  had  a  wide  sway.  Doubtless  it  has 
done  some  good.  It  has  also  done  much  harm.  Probably 
at  first  Mohammed  was  sincere,  but  he  was  led  astray  by  his 
own  success.  His  laws  were  made  for  a  rude  people  and  are 
not  suited  to  a  progressive  people.  It  has  been  called  the 
religion  of  the  sword,  and  it  has  used  the  sword  fiercely.  But 
Christianity  has  sometimes  used  the  sword  also.  At  first  the 
religion  had  a  purifying  effect.  In  Mecca,  where  it  began, 
the  temple  Kaaba  contained  six  thousand  idols,  one  a  black 
stone  which  had  fallen  from  heaven,  probably  an  aerolite. 
Against  such  worship  Mohammed  carried  his  strict  mono- 
theism. 

6.  There  are  several  lives  of  Mohammed, — Muir's,  Well- 
hausen's,  B.  Smith's.  Besides  the  general  works  already 
used,  there  are  many  valuable  books  and  articles.  Gibbon's 
"The  Roman  Empire,"  Vol.  V.,  Chapter  50,  is  a  famous 
account. 

7.  Pictures  of  mosques,  of  the  muezzin,  and  of  the  faithful  at 
prayer  are  generally  accessible.  The  artist  Gerome  has  painted 
a  beautiful  picture  of  the  interior  of  a  mosque. 


Chapter  IX. — Semitic  Religions. 

1.  So  much  study  has  been  given  to  the  Hebrew  religion  in 
the  Old  Testament  that  we  need  not  go  into  detail  about  it  here. 
But  it  should  find  its  place  among  the  religions  of  the  world 
and  have  its  position  recognized  even  independently  of  Chris- 
tianity. Then  Judaism  exists  about  us  to-day  and  has  its 
temples  of  worship.  Examples  of  the  two  types  of  Jews 
may  be  found  in  the  larger  cities,  the  one  type  very  strict  in 
the  old  customs  and  the  other  looking  upon  religion  as  some- 
thing natural  and  casting  off  many  of  the  racial  and  religious 
peculiarities. 

2.  The  word  "Semitic"  is  used  as  a  name  for  the  classifica- 
tion of  peoples.  It  refers  to  the  supposed  descent  from  Shem, 
though  that  is,  of  course,  legendary.  The  main  contrast  is 
with  the  Aryan  race,  the  race  to  which  Europeans  belong. 

3.  Babylonia  and  Assyria  have  come  close  to  Hebrew  his- 
tory. But  the  references  to  these  people  and  their  gods  in 
the  Bible  can  hardly  be  taken  as  a  fair  description.  It  is 
better  to  look  from  the  inside  and  see  how  the  people  tell  of 
themselves.  And  this  more  correct  view  has  been  gained 
through  the  excavations  of  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  cities. 

4.  For  the  stories  of  creation  and  the  iiood  there  is  a  similarity 
which  is  noticeable.  Whether  the  Hebrew  stories  are  to  be 
traced  back  to  the  older  accounts  is  not  easy  to  determine.  There 
may  have  been  some  memorable  flood  in  that  region  which 
gave  rise  to  both  accounts.  And  these  similar  peoples  naturally 
might  think  in  somewhat  similar  terms  about  the  beginning  of 
things.  The  Hebrews  did  borrow  some  ideas  from  other 
peoples,  as  we  have  seen  in  relation  to  the  Persians.  It  is  not 
impossible  that  there  has  been  some  borrowing  here  also. 

5.  Some  account  might  be  given  of  the  explorations  that  are 
being  made  in  Egypt,  Babylonia,  and  Palestine.  Large  ruins 
are  uncovered  and  many  valuable  relics  discovered.  These 
help  to  determine  historic  events  and  to  show  the  beliefs  and 
customs  of  the  people,  and  are  thus  highly  valuable. 

6.  There  is  a  Semitic  Museum  at  Harvard  University,  a 


13 

visit  to  which  would  repay  much  ctTort.  Delitzsch's  "Babel 
and  Bible"  is  a  valuable  little  book.  Layard's  "Nineveh," 
R.  Smith's  "The  Religion  of  the  Semites,"  and  G.  Smith's 
"Chaldean  Account  of  Creation"  will  be  ser\'iceable. 


Chapter  X. — Early  Christian  Sects. 

1.  Keep  the  plan  clearly  in  the  pupil's  mind.  We  are  more 
interested  when  we  know  where  we  are  going.  Here  we  start 
on  the  second  division  of  our  study.  The  same  method  and 
spirit  are  kept.  These  churches  about  us,  what  are  they  ? 
Where  did  they  come  from  ?  Why  do  people  go  to  them  ? 
It  is  a  very  practical  study.  Why  are  we  in  our  church  rather 
than  in  others?  We  ought  to  know  something  about  other 
churches  as  well  as  much  about  our  own  church. 

2.  These  are  comparative  studies.  At  many  points  the 
opportunity  may  come  to  compare  the  other  sects  with  our  own. 
But  the  thorough  study  of  our  own  is  to  come  later,  and  it  is 
well  to  keep  closely  to  the  study  of  the  others  here. 

3.  There  are  doubtless  too  many  sects,  and  the  attempt  at 
union  is  commendable.  Yet  each  one  must  be  true  to  his  light. 
These  sects  have  set  forth  different  phases  of  belief,  and  so  they 
have  often  done  good. 

4.  x\n  interesting  reference  is  Acts  xxiv.  14.  See  the  Revised 
Version,  in  which  heresy  is  translated  sect.  The  root  idea  of 
sect  is  to  choose.  And  a  heresy  is  what  one  chooses  to  believe 
even  against  what  is  prevailing  or  is  sought  to  be  enforced  by 
authority.  Honest  heresy  is  one  of  the  noblest  things  in 
history. 

5.  The  fact  may  be  recalled  that  other  religions  than 
Christianity  have  sects.  We  have  not  been  able  to  study 
these  in  the  brief  view  of  the  religions  which  we  made.  They 
are  not  so  conspicuous  elsewhere,  but  they  do  exist. 

6.  It  was  by  a  vote  that  the  doctrine  of  Arius  did  not  become 
the  accepted  doctrine  of  the  organized  church.  A  vote  does 
not  necessarily  settle  the  truth  of  a  matter:  it  shows  that  the 
larger  number  favor  a  certain  side.     The  trinitarian  view  pre- 


14 

vailed  in  the  council:  it  was  not  proved  that  the  unitarian 
view  was  wrong.  But  unitarian  and  trinitarian  did  hot  mean 
then  altogether  what  they  mean  now. 

7.  The  book  which  every  teacher  should  have  for  this  division 
of  the  course  is  Dr.  W.  H.  Lyon's  "A  Study  of  the  Sects." 
It  may  be  used  in  the  class  with  profit,  in  many  cases  along 
with  these  lessons.  Price's  "The  Story  of  Religions"  is  valu- 
able here  also.  It  has  brief  treatments.  For  this  lesson,  see 
the  latter  book,  pages  108  to  137.  See  also  the  church  his- 
tories. A  large  work  is  American  Church  History.  The 
sects  are  treated  in  separate  volumes.  Volume  one  is  general, 
and  will  be  useful  here. 


Chapter  XL — The  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

1.  Almost  every  pupil  will  have  some  idea  about  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Let  him  have  a  chance  to  tell  what  he 
knows.  Possibly  he  may  have  some  idea  of  the  merit  of  the 
church  and  may  also  see  its  faults.  The  teacher  is  bound  to 
see  that  the  main  points  are  understood,  those  about  the  pope 
and  the  mass.  We  must  always  try  to  understand  and  do  full 
justice:   then  we  are  ready  to  show  the  errors. 

2.  Subjects  might  be  assigned  beforehand  to  members  of  the 
class  to  look  up  and  report  about, — the  mass,  the  crucifix,  the 
confessional,  the  Virgin  Mary.  A  good  dictionary  will  give 
information,  and  members  of  the  church  might  be  asked.  Some 
one  might  find  out  about  some  historic  matter,  like  the  In- 
quisition, or  some  one  might  attend  a  service  at  a  Catholic 
Church  and  report  what  he  saw. 

3.  Generally,  children  and  even  older  young  people  are 
much  impressed  by  the  formalides  of  the  church.  They 
should  be  made  to  think  what  such  mean,  and  be  asked  whether 
they  are  true.  It  is  not  enough  that  a  thing  be  attractive 
or  showy. 

As  to  the  claims  for  papal  authority,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
Peter  ever  was  in  Rome  or  had  anything  to  do  with  the  found- 
ing of  the  church  there.     We  do  not  put  much  weight  upon 


IS 

the  statement  in  ihc  Xcw  Testament  about  this  matter.  It 
may  be  a  reflection  of  a  late  opinion  or  it  may  be  of  some 
symboHcal  meaning,  the  word  "Peter"  meaning  rock.  There 
have  been  good  popes,  but  some  very  bad  ones.  At  one  time 
there  were  two  rival  popes.  The  line  of  descent  is  not  un- 
broken, and  that  spoils  the  priest's  authority. 

4.  The  New  Testament  idea  about  the  body  and  blood  is 
purely  symbolical.  Mark  xiv.  22,  23.  It  is  not  only  unwar- 
ranted to  believe  that  the  real  body  and  blood  are  present  in 
the  mass,  made  so  by  the  priest's  act,  but  it  is  abhorrent. 

5.  In  the  United  States  the  Roman  Catholics  are  made  up 
largely  of  the  immigrants  from  European  countries.  In  such 
countries  as  Spain  and  Italy  this  church  is  the  dominant  one. 
In  France  the  church  and  state  have  only  recently  been  sepa- 
rated. 

6.  Catholic  schools  may  come  up  for  discussion.  These 
are  maintained  in  order  that  Roman  Catholic  ideas  may  be 
directly  taught  to  the  children. 

7.  "The  Story  of  Religions"  and  "A  Study  of  the  Sects," 
already  used,  will  be  the  best  references.  The  Century  Dic- 
tionary gives  much  information.  There  are  Catholic  books 
by  Catholic  writers,  but  these  are  hardly  to  be  trusted. 


Chapter  XII. — The  Greek  Church. 

1.  It  would  be  unadvisable  to  go  far  into  the  early  history 
of  the  Greek  and  Roman  churches  here.  Recall  what  was 
studied  in  last  year's  course  on  Christian  history.  Just 
enough  need  here  be  given  to  show  that  there  were  differences 
and  what  in  a  general  way  these  were.  Our  main  interest  is 
in  the  church  as  it  is  to-day. 

2.  There  are  a  few  Greek  churches  in  Western  countries, 
especially  in  large  cities,  where  believers  have  emigrated. 
Find  out  whether  there  is  one  near  you. 

3.  This  is  one  of  the  best  existing  examples  of  a  state  church. 
A  state  church  is  one  which  is  adopted  by  a  nation  as  its 
church.     All  public  rites  must  be  by  that  church.     The  rulers 


i6 

must  belong  to  it.  Other  churches  may  be  permitted,  but 
only  by  acts  of  toleration.  In  the  United  States  there  is  com- 
plete separation  of  church  and  state.  And  this  is  the  general 
tendency  in  all  countries.  The  state  church  gets  the  prestige 
and  obedience  which  the  state  can  give,  but  it  loses  in  genuine- 
ness and  in  progress.  Here  is  a  good  chance  to  discuss  the 
state  church. 

4.  There  may  be  occasion  to  mention  the  Jews,  many  of 
whom  are  in  Russia.  There  have  been  cruel  massacres  of 
them  there.  However,  this  persecution  and  this  anti-Semitism 
are  not  due  wholly  to  religious  prejudices.  Financial  and 
political  features  belong  to  these  disturbances  and  to  this  race 
hatred. 

5.  Mention  Tolstoi  here.  He  once  belonged  to  the  orthodox 
Greek  Church,  but  was  excommunicated  because  of  his  pub- 
lished beliefs.  He  left  his  social  position  and  his  financial  in- 
dependence to  lead  the  life  of  plain  labor.  He  believes  in  the 
carrying  out  of  the  exact  words  of  Jesus,  and  always  returns 
good  for  evil.  He  is  a  noble  man,  and  his  opposition  to  the 
church  is  justifiable.  His  interpretation  of  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  is  not  always  acceptable. 

6.  Pictures  of  Greek  churches  in  Russia  and  elsewhere 
can  be  had  and  should  be  shown  in  the  class.  Magazine  articles 
in  current  numbers  may  have  something  relating  to  the  coun- 
tries where  this  church  is  dominant.  Encourage  looking  out 
for  such  things  and  finding  pictures. 

7.  Such  references  may  help  as  Dr.  Lyon's  book,  Chapter 
IV.;  The  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  Vol.  XL;  any  church  his- 
tory, as  Kurtz's;  Palmer's  "Russian  Life  in  Town  and 
Country." 


17 


Chapter  XIII. — Episcopalians;  Lutherans. 

1.  More  than  one  church  is  described  in  this  and  succeeding 
lessons  in  order  to  cover  the  whole  field.  There  is  no  neces- 
sary connection  between  those  in  any  one  lesson,  except  a 
resemblance  or  historic  association. 

2.  Study  these  churches  as  they  are  about  you.  Let  the 
pupils  be  familiar  with  the  names  and  locations  of  such  churches. 
These  churches  all  have  things  in  common;  but  the  aim  has 
been  in  the  lesson  to  describe  the  peculiar  features  of  any 
church,  the  things  which  make  it  be  separate.  In  cities  the 
High  Church  Episcopalians  may  be  found  in  one  church  and 
the  Broad  Churchmen  in  another. 

3.  The  creeds  will  be  found  in  the  Prayer  Book.  It  would 
be  well  to  have  a  copy  of  this  book  in  the  class.  If  there  is 
time,  there  might  be  some  explanation  of  how  the  services  are 
carried  on  according  to  the  order  of  this  book.  If  one  is  not 
owned,  it  could  be  borrowed,  doubtless. 

4.  The  beauty  of  the  form  and  liturgy  should  be  shown  and 
acknowledged.  But  the  limitations  should  be  brought  out, 
especially  so  in  regard  to  the  liturgy.  The  forms  impress 
young  people,  as  they  should.  But  the  necessity,  first  of  all,  of 
following  the  truth  and  of  asking  not  merely  what  is  attractive, 
but  what  is  true,  should  be  made  clear.  In  prescribed  forms 
of  prayer  there  is  possibly  more  uniformity  and  better  expres- 
sion; but  there  is  loss  of  originality  and  the  opportunity  for 
the  free  expression  of  one's  own  feelings  and  thoughts. 

5.  The  great  characters  of  the  churches  might  be  looked  up. 
In  the  English  Church  these  might  be  such  as  Wyclif,  the 
reformer,  Maurice,  Kingsley,  Farrar,  Phillips  Brooks.  Among 
the  Lutherans  it  would  be  well  to  choose  Luther  himself  and 
get  as  much  as  possible  about  him. 

•6.  Pictures  of  English  and  German  cathedrals  will  be  ap- 
propriate. The  Episcopal  Church  has  produced  and  en- 
couraged beautiful  church  buildings.  St.  Paul's  in  London  is 
to  the  English  Church  what  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  is  to  the 
Roman. 


i8 

7.  Martin  Luther's  hymn,  ''A  mighty  fortress  is  our  God," 
will  be  found  in  many  hymn-books.     Have  it  read  in  the  class. 

8.  For  references   see   the  appropriate   chapters  in   works 
already  noted. 


Chapter  XIV. — Congregationalists;   Presbyterians. 

1.  The  students  in  America  will  find  a  close  connection 
between  the  Congregationalists  and  their  national  history. 
Especially  is  this  so  in  New  England.  The  old  first  parishes 
are  Congregational  of  one  type  or  another,  Trinitarian  or 
Unitarian.  Many  of  them,  such  as  those  at  Plymouth,  Boston, 
Dorchester,  Roxbury,  Dedham,  are  now  Unitarian,  having 
changed  from  the  views  at  first  held. 

2.  The  teacher  may  have  in  some  sections  to  explain  the 
difference  between  the  church  and  the  parish  or  society. 
The  division  comes  down  from  the  early  days.  The  church 
consists  of  those  who  accept  the  declaration  of  faith.  They 
are  generally  communicants.  The  society  or  parish  is  made  up 
of  those  who  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  church  and  own 
the  property,  or  are  in  a  general  way  associated  with  the  organ- 
ization.    New  churches  seldom  have  this  division. 

3.  Names  associated  with  Congregationahsts  and  worthy 
of  study  are  John  Robinson,  Brewster,  of  the  Pilgrims,  Cotton 
Mather,  of  the  Puritans,  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  strict  believer, 
and  Bushnell,  of  the  liberal  wing. 

4.  Much  of  general  interest  will  be  found  in  the  histories 
of  John  Fiske  or  in  any  history  of  New  England. 

5.  As  opposed  to  the  five  points  of  Calvinism  given  in  the 
lesson  are  the  five  points  of  the  liberal  faith  as  stated  by  Clarke 
and  as  found  prominently  in  Unitarian  churches  in  the  form 
"Our  Faith." 

6.  In  regard  to  the  presbyter  the  comparison  may  be  made 
with  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  puts  the  bishop  in  authority, 
and  the  Congregational  Church,  which  places  the  authority 
in  the  individual  church.  The  Presbyterians  take  the  refer- 
ence in  Acts  xiv.  23  for  supporting  their  form  of  organization. 


19 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  organization  of  the  earliest  Christian 
churches  is  very  much  in  doubt.  And,  even  if  we  did  know 
what  it  was,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  adopt  the  plan  of 
those  early  churches  as  ours.  We  must  fit  organizations  and 
forms  to  the  times  and  conditions  in  which  we  live. 

7.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  borrow  from  a  Presbyterian 
the  book  containing  the  Confession  and  the  Catechism.  Then 
read  from  it  to  the  class. 

8.  In  the  United  States  Congregationalists  are  strong  in 
the  East,  and  Presbyterians  in  the  West. 


Chapter  XV. — Methodists;  Baptists. 

1.  There  will  be  few  places  where  Methodists  and  Baptists 
may  not  be  studied  close  at  hand.  Both  are  large  bodies  of 
people.  Study  what  is  near  at  hand  as  much  as  possible. 
Get  the  substance  of  the  lesson,  but  do  not  merely  recite  it. 
Study  your  class  and  the  individual  members  of  it  to  see  how 
you  can  get  them  interested.  Prepare  pointed  questions 
beforehand,  beginning  with  something  pertinent  that  has 
come  up  or  is  near  you.  If  there  has  been  something  special 
about  these  people  in  the  papers,  speak  about  it.  It  is  in 
place  to  ask  one's  neighbor,  Methodist  or  Baptist,  what  he 
believes.  But  there  must  be  caution,  for  he  may  not  always 
know  accurately  about  his  own  church. 

2.  The  Methodist  Church  had  to  come,  for  there  was  no 
longer  room  for  Wesley  in  the  Church  of  England,  He  was 
interested  in  reaching  everybody  and  the  very  humblest.  He 
was  on  fire  with  enthusiasm. 

3,  The  Wesleys  were  noble  men.  Their  father  was  a 
rector  of  the  English  Church.  There  are  several  biographies 
of  John  Wesley.  Some  of  Charles  Wesley's  hymns  may  be 
found  in  most  hymn-books.  George  Whitefield  was  an  impor- 
tant preacher  in  early  Methodism, 

4,  The  Epworth  League  is  the  name  of  the  young  peoples' 
society  in  the  Methodist  Church,  Epworth  was  the  small 
town  in  England  where  John  Wesley  was  born. 


20 


5-  Show  how  it  was  the  Puritans,  those  who  sought  freedom 
of  worship  in  America,  who  in  turn  drove  out  Roger  Wilhams. 
All  have  changed  now,  and  there  should  be  full  appreciation  of 
the  religious  freedom  enjoyed  almost  everywhere,  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  United  States. 

6.  The  New  Testament  Greek  word  for  baptism  is  to  dip, 
to  immerse.  It  is  hardly  to  be  doubted  that  this  was  the  form 
of  baptism  as  described  in  the  New  Testament.  It  would 
seem  that  Jesus  was  baptized  in  this  way.  See  Mark  i.  9,  10. 
Jesus  did  not  himself  baptize,  according  to  John  iv.  2. 

Those  who  believe  in  baptism  by  sprinkling  or  some  other 
form  must  say  that,  while  immersion  may  have  been  the  one 
described  in  the  New  Testament,  it  is  not  binding  now;  and, 
while  immersion  may  have  been  appropriate  there  and  in  warm 
countries,  some  other  form  may  be  more  appropriate  and 
just  as  significant  in  other  times  and  places.  Quote  2  Corin- 
thians iii.  6.     Baptism  is  only  a  symbol,  but  it  is  a  worthy  one. 

7.  In  the  American  Church  History  Series  the  Baptists 
are  treated  in  Volume  II.,  and  the  Methodists  Volume  V. 


Chapter  XVI. — Friends;  Swedenborgians;  Christians. 

1.  The  name  "Quakers"  came  from  the  statement  of  George 
Fox  before  the  judges  in  England,  that  they  should  tremble 
at  the  word  of  the  Lord.  They  should  not  be  confused  with 
the  Shakers,  who  are  an  entirely  different  set  of  people,  and 
get  their  name  from  the  peculiar  agitations  of  the  body  which 
they  have  in  their  religious  services. 

2.  The  persecutions  by  the  Puritans  in  America  were  not 
mainly  due  to  beliefs.  The  Friends  were  sometimes  guilty 
of  unseemly  practices,  such  as  interrupting  meetings.  They 
thought  they  were  moved  by  the  Spirit  to  do  such  things.  So 
they  met  with  opposition  and  persecution.  Four  Quakers, 
including  Mary  Dyer,  were  hanged  on  Boston  Common. 

3.  Have  the  pupils  describe  the  plain  dress,  and  have  them 
understand  the  purpose  of  it.  Of  course  the  plain  dress  often 
develops  its  own  fashions,  and  so  the  worldly  element  is  not 


escaped.  The  dress  was  of  drab,  and  hooks  and  eyes  were 
used  instead  of  buttons.  The  women  wore  bonnets  instead 
of  hats.  All  ornaments  were  discarded.  Show  the  contrast 
between  a  plain  mccting-housc  of  the  Friends  and  an  ornate 
cathedral.  There  may  be  genuineness  in  the  one  as  in  the 
other.  The  Quaker  has  often  been  narrow  and  queer,  but 
there  is  something  very  fine  in  his  belief  and  the  character 
produced  has  been  truthful  and  substantial. 

4.  Besides  Fox  and  Penn  there  were  such  noted  Friends  as 
Elizabeth  Fry,  who  did  much  for  prison  reform,  and  other 
great  leaders.  John  G.  Whittier  was  a  liberal  Friend.  Read 
his  poem,  "First  Day  Thoughts." 

5.  Swedenborg  was  a  scholar,  and  was  proficient  in  mechanics 
and  mathematics.  He  also  held  a  position  in  the  Swedish 
Senate.  His  followers,  however,  look  mainly  to  his  visions 
and  the  revelations  of  truth  which  they  think  were  made  to 
him.  Of  course  we  cannot  think  he  had  any  such  view  into 
what  is  beyond.  Swedenborg's  main  books  are  "Arcana 
Coelestia,"  "The  New  Jerusalem,"  "Heaven  and  Hell." 

6.  The  principles  of  the  Christians  have  been  broad,  but 
there  has  been  considerable  narrowness  in  applying  them. 
The  emphasis  on  the  Bible  rather  than  the  historic  creeds  has 
developed  some  liberality  for  which  they  have  at  times  stood 
boldly.  Though  they  avoid  sectarian  names,  yet  Christian 
even  to  them  and  in  designating  them  becomes  a  sectarian 
title. 

Chapter  XVII. — Some  Other  Sects. 

1.  According  to  the  plan  it  is  impossible  to  go  into  detail 
in  the  study  of  the  numerous  sects.  In  this  lesson  have  been 
gathered  several  which  should  be  mentioned.  Let  it  be  known 
that  there  are  many  minor  sects  which  have  not  even  been 
mentioned  here.  In  the  United  States  alone  there  are  between 
one  hundred  and  fifty  and  two  hundred  sects.  Some  are  very 
small  and  of  no  general  importance.  Look  up  the  census 
reports  for  the  names  and  numbers  of  these  many  divisions. 
If  in  any  community  any  special  sect  exists,  it  should  be 
studied,  even  if  it  has  not  been  included  here. 


22 


2.  The  Moravians  have  many  attractive  features.  It  was 
probably  his  contact  with  them  which  changed  the  course  of 
Wesley's  career  and  made  a  Methodist  of  him.  They  give 
much  attention  to  music,  and  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  they  have 
musical  festivals.  John  Huss  was  a  reformer  who  lived  in 
Bohemia  in  the  sixteenth  century.  He  was  burned  at  the 
stake  as  a  heretic. 

3.  In  the  region  of  New  York  the  teachers  should  give  special 
attention  to  the  Dutch  Reformed  body,  as  there  are  prominent 
churches  of  that  sect  there. 

4.  The  second  coming  of  Christ  was  believed  in  by  the 
early  Christians.  But  as  the  time  went  on,  and  Christ  did  not 
appear,  the  idea  was  gradually  put  aside  and  the  second  coming 
was  regarded  as  relating  to  the  spiritual  rule  and  influence 
in  the  world.     The  Adventists,  however,  cling  to  the  older  idea. 

5.  Probably  Christian  Science  can  be  studied  by  cases  near 
at  hand.  Those  who  are  not  believers  in  it  recognize  the  nat- 
ural laws  of  God  as  divine  and  believe  in  the  reality  of  pain  and 
of  the  physical  world.  The  means  of  cure  by  physical  methods 
may  be  divine  as  well  as  the  spiritual  means. 

6.  Many  have  been  at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  have  seen  the  main 
institutions  of  the  Mormons.  Let  the  pupils  tell  what  they 
have  seen  and  show  any  pictures  they  may  have.  Polygamy 
is  sanctioned  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  it  has  been  cast  aside 
in  the  development  of  the  family  life  and  under  Christian 
guidance.  The  practice  of  polygamy  is  forbidden  by  law 
now  in  Utah. 

7.  There  may  be  found  too  much  material  in  this  lesson  for 
most  classes.  Either  only  the  main  points  under  each  division 
must  be  taken  or  else  the  teacher  should  make  a  choice  of  what 
will  be  of  most  interest  and  value  to  the  class. 


23 


Chapter  XVIII. — Universalists ;  Unitarians. 

1.  The  churches  grouped  here  represent  the  Hberal  element 
in  Christianity.  It  is  not  meant  that  there  is  not  Hberahsm  in 
other  sects;  but  these  have  stood  specially  for  it  and  have 
worked  to  promote  it.  The  number  of  members  of  either 
sect  is  not  large,  but  each  has  had  a  greater  influence  upon 
thought  and  life  than  have  some  sects  having  many  adherents. 

2.  The  word  "  Universalist "  applies  to  the  idea  of  universal 
salvation, — no  one  finally  lost.  Many  to-day  prefer  to  make  it 
equally  or  even  more  applicable  to  brotherhood,  all  as  brothers, 
and  to  inspiration,  God  revealed  everywhere;  that  is,  universal 
brotherhood  and  universal  inspiration. 

3.  Both  Unitarians  and  Universalists  have  met  with  much 
opposition.  There  are  those  who  deny  that  they  are  Christians. 
But  they  themselves  rightly  insist  that  they  are  Christians,  and 
hold  that  they  represent  both  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  as  shown  in 
the  New  Testament,  and  the  best  development  of  Christianity 
as  it  has  come  up  to  the  present  day.  They  see  plainly  also 
that  many  of  the  other  sects  are  preaching  now  what  they  have 
preached  for  a  long  time. 

4.  All  that  need  be  done  here  with  the  Unitarians  is  to  rec- 
ognize their  place  among  the  Christian  sects  and  to  make  the 
connections  between  them  and  other  Christians.  In  the  next 
section  we  shall  study  the  Unitarians  more  fully.  What  should 
be  brought  out  here  is  that  they  occupy  a  legitimate  place  in 
the  study  of  the  sects  of  the  Christians. 

5.  The  comparison  of  the  Unitarian  with  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic has  been  made  in  the  lesson.  The  difference  is  there  be- 
tween the  outward,  official  authority  of  pope  and  priest  and  the 
inner  authority  of  reason  and  conscience  in  each  individual. 
The  comparison  might  be  made  with  evangelical  Christians, 
These  mainly  hold  that  man  is  born  sinful  and  is  saved  only 
through  the  death  of  Christ.  The  Unitarian  believes  that 
man's  nature  is  essentially  good  and  that  Jesus'  value  is  as  a 
helper  in  living. 

6.  The  differences  between  Universalists  and  Unitarians  are 


24 

becoming  less.  They  have  been  mainly  of  history  and  method. 
The  Universalists  have  been  generally  more  conservative  and 
have  claimed  a  more  special  influence  for  Christ  and  the  Bible. 
The  Unitarians  have  cared  less  for  theological  discussions. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  Universalists  emphasize  most  the 
goodness  of  God,  the  Unitarians  the  divinity  of  man. 

7.  Various  tracts  and  books  may  be  had  from  the  Universalist 
Publishing  House,  Boston,  and  the  American  Unitarian  Asso- 
ciation, Boston. 


Chapter  XIX. — Ancient  Connections. 

1.  Keep  the  sections  and  divisions  clearly  in  mind.  Teacher 
and  pupil  alike  will  be  more  interested  if  they  see  clearly 
what  the  plan  is  that  is  being  followed.  We  are  now  starting 
upon  the  second  half  of  the  year's  work.  The  study  of  the 
preceding  chapters  ought  to  make  a  good  introduction  to  what 
is  now  coming.  This  is  the  continuation  of  the  road  along 
which  we  have  been  traveling. 

2.  Books  available  and  specially  useful  for  this  part  of  the 
course  are  Cooke's  " Unitarianism  in  America";  Mott's  "A 
Short  History  of  Unitarianism  since  the  Reformation";  the 
volume  in  the  American  Church  History  Series  which  treats 
of  Unitarians,  by  J.  H.  Allen;  "The  Flowering  of  Christianity," 
by  W.  C.  Gannett;  "Unitarianism,  its  Origin  and  History,"  by 
several  writers.  "The  Unitarian  Church,"  by  Crooker,  is 
an  excellent  short  statement,  published  (free)  by  the  American 
Unitarian  Association.  The  teacher  would  do  well  to  get 
many  of  the  free  tracts  published  by  the  American  Unitarian 
Association  for  use  throughout  the  course. 

3.  For  this  lesson  "Unitarianism,"  a  tract  by  R.  R.  Shippen, 
will  be  found  helpful,  the  first  part  of  it.  It  is  tract  71  in  the 
American  Unitarian  Association  list. 

4.  It  may  as  well  be  remembered  at  the  start  that  not  only 
do  Unitarians  of  any  time  differ  as  to  what  they  believe  and  as 
to  what  the  origin,  nature,  and  purpose  of  Unitarianism  have 
been,  but  also  that  as  a  movement  it  has  changed  from  time 


25 

to  time.  That  is  its  glory.  But  there  is  sufficient  similarity  in 
spirit  and  method  as  well  as  in  form  to  make  the  connection 
with  the  earlier  history  which  is  here  made.  And  it  is  worth 
while  for  the  student  to  have  in  mind  this  ancient  lineage. 

5.  In  regard  to  Servetus  we  might  recall  that  the  descend- 
ants of  Calvin  in  Geneva  recently  erected  an  expiatory  monu- 
ment there,  expressing  thereby  their  regret  for  what  wrong 
had  been  done  by  their  ancestors  in  authority  in  the  burning  of 
Servetus.  A  monument  to  Servetus  has  also  been  erected  by 
liberal  people  of  many  lands. 

6.  As  representing  some  extra-Biblical  literature  of  the 
apostolic  times,  the  teacher  might  use  "The  Teaching  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles,"  a  document  discovered  in  recent  years.  It 
is  published  as  a  free  tract  by  the  American  Unitarian  Asso- 
ciation.    It  is  No.  8^  in  the  list.     It  contains  explanations. 


Chapter  XX. — Beginnings  in  America. 

1.  Use  the  books  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter.  Cooke's 
" Unitarianism  in  America"  will  give  full  information.  Dr. 
A.  P.  Peabody's  lecture  on  "Unitarianism,  its  Origin  and 
History,"  will  tell  about  early  New  England  Unitarians. 
Crooker's  and  Shippen's  tracts  will  give  information  in  brief. 

2.  The  oldest  Unitarian  churches  have  usually  published 
their  own  histories.  In  some  cases  pamphlets  relating  to 
these  churches  can  be  had.  These  should  be  secured  and 
used  where  possible.  The  Unitarian  Historical  Society  seeks 
to  preserve  the  history  of  our  churches. 

3.  It  will  be  well  to  use  your  own  church  as  an  illustration 
of  the  growth  of  Unitarianism  if  it  is  in  any  way  historic. 
Or  a  noted  church  may  be  near  your  own.  Perhaps  interest 
may  be  added  by  getting  some  sermons  or  books  published 
in  this  early  period  and  showing  them  and  reading  from 
them  directly. 

4.  Pictures  of  historic  churches,  or  meeting-houses  as  they 
are  called  in  Puritan  phraseology,  should  be  brought  to  the 
class.  Pictures  of  King's  Chapel  and  other  historic  buildings 
may  be  had  in  postal-card  form. 


26 

5-  The  American  Unitarian  Association  has  a  set  of  lantern 
slides  illustrating  Unitarian  history.  They  are  loaned  for  use. 
It  might  be  interesting  for  the  class  to  arrange  for  an  evening 
when  these  slides  could  be  used  and  a  talk  given.  Arrange- 
ments for  the  slides  should  be  made  some  time  beforehand. 

6.  It  will  hardly  be  worth  while  to  go  into  the  legal  ques- 
tions involved  in  the  divisions  of  some  of  the  property  of 
churches  where  part  of  the  people  became  liberal  and  part 
remained  orthodox.  The  matter  as  to  the  rights  in  property 
was  taken  into  the  courts  and  there  settled.  If  this  is  dis- 
cussed, the  teacher  will  find  full  information  in  George  E. 
Ellis's  lecture  in  the  book  "  Unitarianism,  its  Origin  and 
History."  The  lecture  is  entitled  "The  Church  and  Parish 
in  Massachusetts."     It  was  a  fair  settlement  for  all  concerned. 

7.  It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  the  change  to  Uni- 
tarianism was  a  gradual  growth.  The  leaders  did  not  want 
to  separate.  But  the  time  came  when  they  could  not  work 
peaceably  together. 


Chapter  XXI. — In  England. 

1.  It  is  difficult  for  Americans  to  understand  the  over- 
powering influence  of  the  established  church  in  England. 
But,  when  it  is  remembered,  all  the  more  credit  should  be  given 
to  those  who  have  dared  to  come  out  of  it  and  to  stand  by  their 
convictions. 

2.  The  young  people  of  our  day  should  be  made  to  appre- 
ciate the  fact  that  religious  freedom  has  cost  much.  In  this 
lesson  the  spirit  of  martyrdom  is  to  be  brought  out.  Uni- 
tarians trace  their  origin  back  through  those  who  endured 
great  hardship.  There  are  Unitarian  martyrs.  Many  doubt- 
less retracted  or  kept  silent  and  so  escaped,  but  others  refused 
to  conceal  their  light. 

3.  It  is  to  be  understood  here  and  everywhere  that  Unitarian 
views  are  not  alike.  But  there  is  a  central  unity  and  a 
common  trend.  Arian,  Socinian,  Arminian,  Unitarian, — these 
words  represent  a  community  of  ideas  and  a  common  ten- 
dency toward  the  last  and  largest  term. 


27 

4-  By  all  means  secure  fresh  knowledge  from  England 
about  these  matters  where  possible.  Has  some  one  in  the  class 
known  an  English  Unitarian  church  or  minister  ?  It  might  be 
interesting  to  get  some  English  tracts  or  copy  of  an  English 
paper.  Perhaps  some  new  movement  or  some  meeting  there 
may  make  an  attractive  starting-point  at  the  time  when  this 
chapter  is  studied.  The  main  papers  are  the  Inquirer  and 
the  Christian  Life. 

5.  The  Unitarian  headquarters  are  on  Essex  Street,  Strand, 
London.  Here  the  British  and  Foreign  Unitarian  Association 
has  its  offices,  as  well  as  other  societies.  It  is  the  historic  site 
of  Lindsey's  Chapel. 

6.  James  Martineau's  main  books  are  "Types  of  Ethical 
Theory,"  "A  Study  of  Religion,"  "The  Seat  of  Authority  in 
Religion."  These  are  generally  beyond  the  class.  But  the 
teacher  may  find  something  in  his  books  of  sermons  suitable 
to  read  to  the  class,  "Endeavors  after  a  Christian  Life" 
or  "Hours  of  Thought."  See  Unity  Mission  tract  on  Marti- 
neau  for  selections. 

7.  Churches  are  usually  called  chapels  in  England.  This 
is  because  the  word  "church"  has  been  so  monopolized  by  the 
established  church. 

8.  The  churches  in  Canada  are  in  close  affiliation  with  the 
Unitarians  in  the  United  States. 

9.  Brooke  Herford's  book,  "The  Story  of  Religion  in  Eng- 
land," is  a  full  treatment  of  the  subject.  His  lecture  in  the 
volume  "Unitarianism,  its  Origin  and  History,"  will  be  found 
more  useful.  Herford  was  an  Englishman,  but  spent  a  large 
part  of  his  life  in  America.  See  Lesson  XI.  in  Gannetts' 
"The  Flowering  of  Christianity. 


28 


Chapter  XXII . — In  Hungary  and  Other  Countries. 

1.  Not  so  much  to  learn  the  facts  in  this  chapter  is  the  pur- 
pose, as  to  get  a  sense  of  the  presence  of  Unitarians  outside 
the  regions  most  famiUar  and  of  those  who  are  one  with  Unita- 
rians, even  though  they  do  not  bear  the  name. 

2.  Use  a  map  and  trace  out  the  regions  that  are  here  talked 
about.  Hungary  is  not  so  well  known  as  other  countries,  but 
for  Unitarians  it  ought  to  have  a  peculiar  interest.  The  race 
there  to  which  the  Unitarians  mainly  belong  is  the  Magyar. 
If  possible,  show  pictures  of  the  country.  Pictures  of  such  a 
city  as  Buda-pesth,  the  capital,  may  be  found  in  collections  of 
pictures.  Possibly  some  pupil  can  get  pictures  from  some 
one  who  has  traveled  in  that  region. 

3.  The  name  to  bring  out  into  prominence  is  Francis  David, 
preacher,  bishop,  martyr.  His  is  the  great  name  to  the  Uni- 
tarians there. 

4.  Current  information  should  be  used  when  there  can  any 
be  found.  The  Christian  Register  or  other  church  papers 
may  have  news  from  these  countries  at  the  time  when  the 
lesson  is  studied.  The  teacher  should  be  on  the  lookout  for 
such  current  news  and  look  ahead  for  it.  Possibly  at  some 
time  a  visitor  may  be  in  one's  own  country  from  Hungary. 
Professor  Boros  was  such  a  visitor  in  recent  years  and  became 
known  to  many. 

5.  Information  about  Socinus  may  be  found  in  encyclo- 
pedias and  general  church  histories.  See  also  Mott's  book 
on  Unitarianism. 

6.  The  International  Council  is  a  body  made  up  of  repre- 
sentatives of  liberal  religion  in  many  countries.  It  was  pro- 
jected by  Unitarians.  It  has  held  meetings  in  Boston,  Am- 
sterdam, London,  Geneva;  and  the  meeting  in  1910  is  to  be 
in  Berlin.  The  addresses  at  these  sessions  have  been  pub- 
lished at  reasonable  prices  and  are  valuable  books. 

7.  It  was  in  Germany  that  Protestantism  took  its  beginning. 
There,  too,  the  forms  of  radical  Biblical  criticism  appeared. 
Unitarians  in  America  and  England  have  been  much  influ- 


29 

enced  by  the  scholarship  of  Germany.     The  same  may  be 
said  of  Holland's  influence. 

8,  There  is  a  leaflet  compiled  by  the  Unitarians  of  Hungary 
under  the  direction  of  Bishop  Ferencz.  It  is  called  "A  Short 
Account  of  the  Unitarian  Church  in  Hungary."  The  tract 
by  R.  R.  Shippen  is  specially  valuable  for  this  chapter.  See 
the  American  Unitarian  Association  tract,  "Three  Centuries 
and  a  Half  of  Unitarianism  in  Hungary,"  by  J.  T.  Sunderland. 


Chapter  XXIII. — Channing  and  his  Times. 

1.  Be  sure  that  the  pupils  know  Channing's  name,  even 
how  to  spell  it.  As  Methodists  know  Wesley,  Unitarians 
should  know  Channing. 

2.  Distinguish  William  Ellery  Channing  from  his  nephew, 
William  Henry  Channing,  also  a  Unitarian  minister.  The 
latter's  "Symphony"  has  been  widely  published,  and  is  often 
attributed  to  the  greater  Channing. 

3.  Objects  of  interest  about  Channing  are  the  statue  and 
memorial  church  in  Newport;  his  grave  in  Mt.  Auburn 
cemetery,  Cambridge;  the  fine  statue  in  the  Public  Garden, 
Boston,  opposite  the  Arlington  Street  Church,  which  is  the 
successor  of  the  Federal  Street  Church,  and  in  which  are  tablets 
to  the  memory  of  Channing  and  Gannett.  Some  churches  are 
called  Channing  churches. 

4.  Has  your  church  a  picture  of  Channing  in  it  anywhere  ? 
If  not,  why  not  undertake  to  get  one?  The  best  one  is  to  be 
had  in  the  form  of  a  photograph  of  the  Gambardella  portrait, 
which  is  in  Channing  Hall,  in  the  Unitarian  Building  in  Boston. 
Small  pictures  can  be  had  in  the  series  "Great  Leaders,"  pub- 
lished by  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society. 

5.  Tributes  to  Channing  might  be  read,  such  as  those  by 
Whittier,  Longfellow,  and  Lowell,  to  be  found  in  their  volumes 
of  poetry. 

6.  There  was  some  difference  of  opinion  about  forming  the 
American  Unitarian  Association  and  other  societies.  Some 
feared  that  liberty  might  be  infringed  upon.     But  others  saw 


3° 

that  organizations  were  necessary,  if  the  cause  was  to  be 
maintained,  and  the  truth  was  to  be  spread  by  starting  new 
churches. 

7.  Read  something  from  the  writings  of  Channing  or  of  the 
men  of  his  time  in  the  class.  The  best  short  collection  for 
such  use  is  Unity  Mission  tract,  No.  18,  price  five  cents,  and  to 
be  had  at  Unitarian  headquarters.  Some  member  of  the  class 
might  give  an  outline  of  Channing's  address  on  "Self-culture." 

8.  Berry  Street  was  the  street  from  which  was  the  entrance 
to  the  vestry  of  the  Federal  Street  Church.  The  conference 
was  organized  in  the  vestry. 

9.  Channing's  works  are  published  in  six  volumes.  There 
is  a  cheap  one-volume  edition  issued  by  the  American  Unitarian 
Association.  There  is  a  three-volume  memoir.  There  is  a 
"Life  of  Channing."  A  later  life  of  him  is  by  Chadwick. 
The  life  of  Ezra  Stiles  Gannett  by  his  son,  William  C.  Gannett, 
is  a  valuable  book.  "Channing  and  the  Unitarian  Movement 
in  America"  is  short,  and  is  published  by  the  Sunday-School 
Society. 


Chapter  XXIV. — Emerson  and  Parker. 

1.  Anything  should  be  used  that  will  help  to  make  these 
men  more  real.  Pictures  of  the  men  and  places  will  help  in 
this  direction.  Emerson's  face  should  be  familiar  to  every 
pupil.  Pictures  of  Emerson  and  Parker  may  be  found  in  the 
series  on  "Great  Leaders,"  published  by  the  Unitarian  Sunday- 
School  Society.  Pictures  of  Concord,  Emerson's  home,  and 
Sleepy  Hollow  Cemetery  where  he  was  buried  can  be  had  in 
various  forms. 

2.  The  meeting-house  in  West  Roxbury,  where  Parker  first 
preached,  is  still  standing,  though  unused.  The  society  has  a 
newer  church  near  by.  An  effort  is  being  made  to  preserve 
the  old  church  on  account  of  its  historic  interest.  Music  Hall, 
where  Parker  preached,  still  exists,  just  off  Tremont  Street, 
Boston,  but  is  now  used  as  a  theatre. 

3.  The  Unity  Mission  tracts  on  Parker  and  Emerson  will 


31 

be  very  useful.  They  contain  sketches  of  the  lives  and  selec- 
tions from  the  writings.  Pupils  might  be  given  selections  to 
read  in  the  class. 

4.  The  claim  that  Emerson  is  a  Unitarian  is  not  lessened 
much  by  his  withdrawal  from  the  pulpit.  It  was  some  of  the 
customs  connected  with  the  communion  that  he  disliked  rather 
than  the  observance  itself.  And  he  was  one  who  would  under- 
estimate the  worth  of  forms.  But  the  honor  in  which  he  has 
been  held  by  Unitarians  is  sufficient  evidence  that  he  has  been 
by  right  among  the  Unitarians  all  along. 

5.  Emerson's  Essays,  especially  the  first  and  second  series, 
are  generally  accessible  and  may  be  had  in  cheap  form.  No 
better  service  could  be  done  a  young  person  than  to  start  him 
in  reading  Emerson.  Begin  with  "Self-reliance"  or  "Compen- 
sation." Read  some  of  his  poems,  "The  Problem,"  "Each 
and  All,"  "Monadnock."  Be  sure  that  all  know  these  lines 
from  his  "Voluntaries": 

So  nigh  is  grandeur  to  our  dust, 
So  near  is  God  to  man, 
\\Tien  Duty  whispers  low,  Thou  must, 
The  youth  replies,  /  can. 

6.  There  is  a  two-volume  life  of  Emerson  by  Cabot.  There 
are  lives  of  Parker  by  O.  B.  Frothingham  and  by  J.  W.  Chad- 
wick.  Parker's  works  are  now  published  in  full.  There  is  a 
cheap,  one-volume  edition,  published  by  the  American  Unitarian 
Association.     There  is  also  a  volume  of  his  prayers. 

7.  Theodore  Parker's  hymn,  "O  thou  great  Friend  to  all  the 
sons  of  men,"  referring  to  Jesus,  is  found  in  most  Unitarian 
hymn-books.     Read  it  in  the  class. 


Chapter  XXV. — Later  Developments. 

I.  This  chapter  is  intended  to  bring  the  Unitarian  move- 
ments up  to  the  present  time.  The  teacher  may  have  other 
achievements  in  mind  which  he  would  like  to  describe  as 
typically  Unitarian,  and  of  course  he  should  do  so.  There  may 
be  new  undertakings  as  the  times  come  on  when  these  things 


32 

are  studied.  Such  should  receive  notice.  The  teacher  of 
this  course  should  keep  posted  on  the  religious  news.  There 
will  be  a  later  chapter  in  which  the  various  Unitarian  organiza- 
tions will  be  described  as  they  are  at  work.  Here  the  connec- 
tion is  with  the  history. 

2.  The  connection  between  Unitarian  faith  and  philan- 
thropy is  natural.  Unitarians  had  their  attention  directed 
mainly  to  this  world  and  to  the  good  they  could  do  here.  They 
believed  in  man,  and  so  set  about  to  help  him.  Good  deeds 
were  for  them  the  natural  expression  of  their  faith. 

3.  Reports  of  the  various  philanthropies  mentioned  will  be 
the  best  sources  of  information  about  them.  What  is  your 
church  doing  in  the  way  of  expressing  its  faith  through  the 
natural  channel  of  human  helpfulness? 

4.  It  is  the  glory  of  Unitarians  that  they  did  not  settle  down 
into  a  fixed  condition  of  thought  and  that  they  were  themselves 
ready  to  make  advances.  This  is  particularly  noticeable  and 
creditable  in  the  way  in  which  they  generally  welcomed  the 
doctrine  of  evolution.  To  Unitarians  there  has  never  been 
much  of  a  conflict  between  science  and  religion.  Their  way  of 
interpreting  the  Bible  did  not  make  it  hard  for  them  to  accept 
the  doctrine  of  development,  even  if  it  did  not  fit  the  first  chap- 
ters of  Genesis. 

5.  The  best  reference  for  this  chapter  is  Cooke's  "Unita- 
rianism  in  America." 

6.  As  this  chapter  closes  the  short  historical  account,  the 
teacher  may  do  well  to  go  back  over  the  historical  chapters  in  a 
brief  review.  The  facts  presented  are  so  few  and  so  distinct 
that  the  pupil  ought  to  have  most  of  them  clearly  in  mind.  How 
Unitarians  came  to  be  ought  to  have  distinctness  to  the  one 
who  has  given  careful  attention.  And  Unitarianism  cannot 
be  understood  or  appreciated  without  some  such  knowledge 
of  its  history.  With  such  knowledge  we  may  be  ready  to  study 
the  beliefs. 


33 


Chapter  XXVI. — General  Position. 

1.  It  is  very  important  to  set  forth  clearly  the  freedom  of 
Unitarians.  Most  Unitarians  would  claim  this  personal  free- 
dom as  their  most  valued  possession.  This  very  freedom  joins 
them  closely  together.  Recall  the  attempts  to  enforce  uni- 
formity and  conformity  to  some  fixed  belief, — the  Inquisition 
of  the  Roman  Catholics,  the  church  trials  for  heresy  in  recent 
times.  Show  how  Unitarians  have  no  such  power  and  do  not 
want  it.  This  lack  of  such  official  power  may  mean  smaller 
numbers  and  less  sho^^T  results,  but  Unitarians  are  willing:  to 
accept  such  consequences,  if  they  are  necessary, 

2.  The  pupil  should  be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  each  one 
should  believe  something.  It  is  not  the  outcome  of  our  freedom 
that  one  should  be  idle  and  careless.  He  must  try  to  find  the 
best  and  believe  it.  Freedom  in  a  church,  as  in  a  country,  is 
a  means  and  not  an  end.  And  freedom  of  belief  fits  well  a 
free  country  and  is  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  democracy. 

3.  It  is  worth  while  to  know  some  of  the  common  statements 
of  belief  which  represent  a  consensus  of  Unitarian  opinion. 
These  statements  help  to  make  more  clear  and  forcible  one's 
own  belief,  and  often  ser\^e  as  a  helpful  expression  of  one's 
own  convictions. 

4.  The  statement  "Our  Faith"  is  in  xery  common  use.  It 
is  taken  from  a  sermon  by  James  Freeman  Clarke,  "The 
Five  Points  of  Calvinism  and  the  Five  Points  of  the  New 
Theology."  That  is  how  the  five  articles  come,  and  how, 
also,  the  expression  comes.  This  sermon  is  published  in  tract 
form,  and  the  teacher  should  see  it. 

The  statement  is  printed  in  various  forms  by  the  Unitarian 
Sunday-School  Society.  Most  Sunday  Schools  have  a  framed 
copy  of  it  on  the  walls  somewhere.     It  should  be  known  by  all. 

5.  There  are  various  other  statements  made  by  local  con- 
ferences. If  there  is  such  in  your  region,  use  it  here.  There  are 
many  statements  of  Unitarian  belief  by  individuals  in  tract 
form.  These  are  useful  for  missionary  purpose  and  may  be 
had    free.      'Things   Commonly   Believed    among    Us"    is   a 


34 

short  statement,  and  is  published  by  the  Western  Unitarian 
Conference,  Chicago.  Crothers's  "  The  Faith  of  a  Free  Church  " 
shows  well  the  spirit  which  should  be  in  this  chapter.  It  is 
published  (free)  by  the  American  Unitarian  Association. 

6.  Many  teachers  will  find  it  an  advantage,  especially  in 
this  section  of  the  course,  to  speak  beforehand  about  what  is 
to  come,  and  to  encourage  the  pupils  to  do  some  thinking  for 
themselves  as  well  as  to  learn  what  is  prescribed. 


Chapter  XXVII. — Belief  about  Man. 

1.  The  ideas  set  forth  by  Unitarians  about  human  nature, 
cannot  be  emphasized  too  strongly.  From  the  first  they  have 
been  recognized  as  vital  in  matters  of  belief,  and  the  later  knowl- 
edge of  the  evolutionary  process  has  verified  and  enforced 
them.  They  stand  in  contrast  with  the  ordinary  evangelical 
ideas  still  prevalent. 

2.  Confidence  in  human  nature  enables  one  to  work  hope- 
fully with  the  worst  people.  The  worker  believes  there  is 
something  good  in  the  sinful  person  and  tries  to  appeal  to 
that  and  bring  it  out.  Recall  how  this  thought  of  human 
nature  has  made  Unitarians  specially  interested  in  reform  and 
philanthropy. 

3.  Some  classes  may  take  peculiar  interest  in  the  subject  of 
evolution.  The  religious  side  of  this  subject  will  be  found 
treated  in  sermons  and  books  by  M.  J.  Savage,  and  also  in  the 
catechism  made  by  him.  A  lesson  on  Charles  Darvdn  will 
be  found  in  "Life  Studies,"  published  by  the  Unitarian  Sun- 
day-School Society.  It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that 
these  ideas  of  human  nature  were  taught  long  before  the 
theory  of  evolution  was  known. 

4.  Somewhere  with  young  people  the  subject  of  conversion 
may  come  up.  The  view  taken  by  many  is  that  our  natures 
are  thoroughly  evil  and  must  be  completely  changed  before 
we  are  saved.  This,  they  think,  can  be  done  only  by  some  one 
bearing  our  sins  for  us.  This  is  Christ,  who  must  be  accepted. 
No  such  change  is  possible  or  necessary  in  the  belief  of  human 


35 

nature  held  by  Unitarians.  It  is  all  a  process  of  education  in 
the  spiritual  life.  One  must  choose  between  higher  and  lower 
things  and  give  himself  to  the  choice  for  the  better. 

5.  Unitarians  do  not  minimize  sin  and  wrong.  They  see 
it  is  here.  They  see  the  terrible  nature  of  it  and  know  that  it 
must  be  overcome.  But  with  them  the  insistence  is  upon  the 
greater  ideas  of  goodness  and  justice  and  love. 

6.  Selections  might  be  read  from  various  writers  about  man 
and  brotherhood.  Such  selections  will  be  found  in  the  Unity 
Mission  tracts  on  Channing,  Parker,  Martineau,  and  Emerson. 
Dr.  C.  C.  Everett's  tract,  "Human  Nature  not  Ruined,  but 
Incomplete,"  is  directly  useful  here. 

7.  For  brotherhood  some  Bible  references  may  be  pertinent. 
My  brother's  keeper.  Genesis  iv.  9;  thy  neighbor,  Matthew 
xxii.  39;  members  one  of  another,  Romans  xii.  5. 


Chapter  XX F///.— Belief  about  God. 

1.  Here  and  in  the  following  chapters  on  beliefs  it  is  recog- 
nized that  the  views  of  all  may  not  be  represented.  All  that 
is  attempted  in  the  pupil's  part  is  to  give  the  main  features  of 
the  belief.  If  the  teacher  has  preferences  for  putting  other 
beliefs  forward  in  his  class,  he  is  authority  there  and  may  feel  free 
to  do  so.  But  Unitarianism  would  hardly  be  fairly  treated  by 
the  teacher  if  he  did  not  take  account  of  the  beliefs  here  dealt 
with  and  commonly  held  among  us. 

2.  The  teacher  should  abound  in  questions  made  for  his 
own  class.  These  questions  should  be  in  the  mind  and  ready 
for  free  use.  Each  teacher  can  make  such  questions  for  his 
own  use  better  than  any  one  can  make  them  for  him.  A  teacher 
might  well  begin  the  present  lesson  with  a  question  thrown  out 
at  some  member  of  the  class,  What  is  an  atheist  ? 

3.  Words  sometimes  have  special  interest  for  young  students 
of  the  languages.  Theism  is  a  belief  in  God,  coming  from  the 
Greek  word  for  deity.  Then  the  prefix  a  means  without:  thus, 
atheism.     So  might  be  treated  agnostic  and  infidel. 

4.  Notice  that  the  unity  of  God  means  more  than  mere  op- 


36 

position  to  the  trinity.  There  should,  however,  be  a  clear 
conception  of  the  contrast  with  the  trinity.  Unitarians  do  not 
find  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity  in  the  Bible.  Jesus  had  no  idea 
of  it.  It  grew  up  later  in  connection  with  Greek  speculation. 
The  unity  of  God  is  the  simpler  and  more  natural  way,  to-day, 
of  describing  the  nature  of  God,  and  Unitarians  use  it.  There 
are  Unitarian  churches  called  by  the  name  of  Unity  to  express 
this  great  idea. 

5.  The  teacher  should  get  for  the  whole  course  some  of  the 
many  tracts  published  by  the  American  Unitarian  Association. 
They  are  free.  Secure  a  list,  and  select  the  ones  wanted. 
"Unitarian  Theology,"  by  several  writers,  is  very  good  for  this 
purpose.  "The  Unitarian  Catechism,"  by  M.  J.  Savage,  and 
"A  Catechism  of  the  Liberal  Faith,"  by  C.  F.  Dole,  published 
by  the  Sunday-School  Society,  will  afford  a  question  and  an- 
swer treatment.  The  teacher  will  find  helpful  both  grades  of 
the  lessons  on  "Foundation  Truths  in  Religion,"  published 
by  the  Sunday-School  Society. 

6.  The  result  of  the  study  should  be  to  fix  at  least  a  few 
ideas  clearly  and  firmly  in  the  pupil's  mind.  Discussion  is 
good,  but  it  may  lead  too  far  unless  carefully  guided  by  the 
teacher.  See  to  it,  if  possible,  that  each  member  of  the  class 
understands.  This  will  mean  something  of  drill  as  well  as 
explanation. 

7.  With  the  helps  suggested  and  with  careful  preparation, 
the  teacher  should  not  hesitate  to  give  instruction  in  these 
beliefs. 


Chapter  XXIX. — Belief  about  the  World. 

1.  Approach  this  lesson  with  the  feeling  that,  if  you  can 
make  the  pupil  see  and  feel  the  truth  in  it,  there  will  come  a 
sense  of  wonder  and  usefulness  which  will  be  valuable  to  him 
all  through  his  life. 

2.  Picture  more  in  detail  the  parts  of  the  world, — planets, 
stars,  nebulae,  etc.  Ask  the  pupil  to  think  of  our  system,  and 
then  of  that  as  part  of  another  greater  system,  and  that  of 


37 

another,  and  so  on,  until  the  mind  fails  to  grasp  it.  Some 
sense  of  infinity  will  be  gained.  What  is  the  infinite  ?  That 
which  is  without  limits.  Ours  is  an  infinite  universe.  Ours  is 
an  Infinite  God.  To  awaken  wonder  is  directly  to  cultivate  the 
religious  spirit.  Ask  the  pupils  to  look  up  at  the  stars  at  night. 
Many  of  them  will  not  think  of  it  unless  asked  specially  to 
do  it. 

3.  There  may  be  some  discussion  as  to  whether  other  planets 
are  inhabited.  Eminent  astronomers  now  believe  that  Mars 
may  be  inhabited,  and  think  they  have  discovered  evidence  of 
the  work  of  human  intelligence  on  that  planet.  See  books  of 
Percival  Lowell. 

4.  As  an  illustration  of  a  miracle,  cite  the  account  of  the 
sun  standing  still.  Joshua  x.  12.  The  sun  cannot  stand  still 
and  not  break  a  law  of  nature.  There  must  be  some  other 
explanation.  Of  course,  early  peoples  did  not  understand  the 
uniformity  of  God's  laws,  and  readily  thought  that  Joshua 
might  make  the  sun  to  stop  in  its  course.  This  account  is  a 
part  of  the  legendary  belief  of  a  primitive  people.  We  do  not 
believe  in  miracles.  They  cannot  be,  and  we  do  not  want  them. 
Order  and  law  are  surer  evidence  of  God  than  miracles. 

5.  The  accounts  of  creation  in  Genesis  will  come  up.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  there  are  two  accounts  there,  one  in 
Genesis  i.  to  ii.  3,  the  other  ii.  4  and  following.  The  latter  is 
the  more  primitive :  the  first  one  represents  an  orderly  process, 
but  is,  of  course,  not  to  be  accepted  as  correct.  They  are  to 
be  regarded  as  Hebrew  accounts  of  the  origin  of  the  world  and 
for  what  worth  they  may  have  in  themselves.  They  may  be 
taken  as  an  illustration  of  how  the  early  peoples  looked  out 
upon  the  world  and  naturally  tried  to  account  for  the  world 
as  they  saw  it.  Nearly  all  early  races  have  some  accounts  of 
the  origin  of  the  world. 

6.  Browning's  "Saul,"  XVIII.,  may  make  an  interesting 
reading,  as  interpreting  the  Unitarian  view. 

7.  See  the  books  already  mentioned,  especially  "Foundation 
Truths,"  I.  and  II.,  and  IX.  and  X.  See  a  tract  on  "God," 
by  S.  R.  Calthrop;  "Unending  Genesis,"  by  H.  M.  Simmons; 
"Beginnings,"  by  A.  W.  Gould. 


38 


Chapter  XXX. — Belief  about  Immortality. 

1.  There  are  many  points  on  this  subject  which  individual 
Unitarians  would  want  treated  differently,  but  the  consensus 
of  opinion  has  been  presented  and  the  essential  ideas  mentioned. 
The  teacher  should  have  the  liberty  to  present  other  convictions 
or  to  place  a  different  emphasis.  The  lesson  is  intended  mainly 
as  a  guide.  The  teacher  should  be  careful,  however,  about 
trying  to  force  some  peculiar  views  of  his  own  upon  the  pupil. 
There  is  room  for  diversity  of  teaching  and  yet  for  the  defi- 
nite instruction  that  Unitarians  believe  strongly  in  immor- 
tality. 

2.  Easter  is  the  festival  of  immortality.  It  is  an  observance 
older  than  Christianity,  and  it  took  account  of  the  spring  and 
the  suggestions  of  new  life  coming  out  of  what  seemed  dead. 
With  it  the  Christians  joined  the  story  of  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus.  Whatever  we  may  think  about  that  story  in  the  New 
Testament,  we  do  not  make  immortality  depend  upon  it  for 
proof. 

3.  The  communications  between  those  who  have  died  and 
those  who  are  living  are  believed  in  by  some  who  do  not  call 
themselves  Spiritualists.  There  is  a  society,  called  the  Society 
for  Psychical  Research,  which  has  investigated  such  questions. 
Some  believe  that  there  is  safe  evidence  to  show  that  a  com- 
munication has  in  some  cases  been  established.  The  best 
treatment  of  the  subject  will  be  found  in  Savage's  "Life  be- 
yond Death." 

4.  If  any  one  is  particularly  interested  in  the  point  of  view 
of  evolution,  as  related  to  immortality,  he  will  find  it  carried 
out  in  the  idea  of  progress.  The  best  treatment  of  this  phase 
of  the  subject  is  John  Fiske's  little  book,  "The  Destiny  of 
Man." 

5.  For  readings  the  teacher  can  hardly  do  better  than  choose 
from  Tennyson's  "In  Memoriam,"  the  whole  of  which  was 
written  in  memory  of  a  friend  who  had  died.  See  also  Emer- 
son's "Threnody."  See  poems  by  Chadwick,  Hosmer  and 
Gannett. 


39 

6.  Various  tracts  on  the  subject  of  immortality  will  be  found 
among  those  published  by  the  American  Unitarian  Association. 

7.  The  "IngersoU  Lecture"  is  given  by  some  eminent  man 
each  year  at  Harvard  University,  on  the  subject  of  immor- 
tality. These  lectures  have  all  been  published.  All  of  them 
are  interesting,  and  some  of  them  may  be  found  of  value  by 
the  teacher. 

Chapter  XXXI. — Belief  about  Jesus. 

1.  The  belief  about  Jesus  has  been  set  forth  mainly  in  the 
positive  form.  If  the  teacher  thinks  it  necessary  for  the  sake 
of  clearness,  he  may  state  the  negative  side.  That  Jesus  did 
not  come  to  appease  an  angry  God  by  his  sacrifice,  that  it  was 
not  a  part  of  a  scheme  of  salvation  for  him  to  die,  that  he  is 
not  coming  again  to  earth, — such  views  may  be  presented  ac- 
cording to  the  temper  and  needs  of  the  class.  The  blood  of 
Christ  was  probably  meant  to  refer  to  the  life  and  not  as  ortho- 
dox}' has  regarded  it. 

2.  It  is  understood  here  that  the  life  of  Jesus  has  been 
thoroughly  studied  in  the  preceding  courses.  Here  the  aim 
is  to  get  a  few  ideas  about  the  way  Jesus  is  regarded  where  mat- 
ters of  doctrine  are  considered.  He  has  been  made  such  a 
part  of  a  doctrinal  system  that  Unitarians,  who  do  not  accept 
that  system,  must  have  some  ideas  to  present  about  him  to 
take  the  place  of  those  they  are  bound  to  deny. 

3.  That  Jesus  as  a  human  leader  may  be  helpful  has  been 
proved  by  the  examples  of  those  who  have  lived  noble  lives 
under  such  a  belief  and  those  w-ho  have  found  in  this  Jesus 
the  incentive  to  special  devotion  to  charity,  reform,  and  good 
works  generally. 

4.  The  mission  of  Jesus  is  well  expressed  in  the  Gospel  of 
John  X.  10.  The  first  three  Gospels  abound  in  descriptions  of 
Jesus  which  Unitarians  accept.  The  description  in  Acts  x.  38 
is  a  favorite  one. 

5.  Compare  the  two  hymns,  "All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus* 
name"  and  "O  thou  great  Friend  to  all  the  sons  of  men." 
Unitarians,  as  Dr.  Everett  said,  care  less  for  prostrate  angels, 


4° 

diadems,  etc.,  and  more  for  the  friendliness,  sympathy,  and 
helpfulness  spoken  of  in  Parker's  hymn. 

6.  Use  pictures  which  represent  Christ  best  to  the  class. 
Which  do  they  prefer?  What  best  pictures  him  as  the  heroic 
Christ?  What  of  the  halo?  Take  the  pictures  by  Hoffman 
and  Tissot.  What  of  the  modern  pictures  representing  Jesus 
in  the  midst  of  modern  surroundings?  Such  a  one  is  L'Her- 
mitte's  in  the  Boston  Art  Museum,  and  in  the  Metropohtan 
Museum  in  New  York.  Goetze's  "Despised  and  Rejected  of 
Men"  is  another  of  this  kind,  but  more  extreme. 

7.  The  In  His  Name  Club,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  is  an 
organization  for  human  helpfulness  among  Unitarians,  grow- 
ing out  of  Dr.  E.  E.  Hale's  story,  "In  His  Name." 


Chapter  XXXII. — Belief  about  the  Bible. 

1.  The  belief  about  the  Bible  would  follow  naturally  from 
the  beliefs  about  man  and  God  which  have  already  been 
explained.  But  the  Bible  has  been  so  regarded  by  others 
that  it  seems  necessary  to  treat  it  as  an  object  of  belief  in  order 
that  the  pupil  may  understand  why  Unitarians  cannot  accept 
it  as  others  do  and  why  they  still  give  it  a  peculiar  place. 

2.  As  evidence  of  our  regard  for  the  Bible,  call  attention 
to  the  study  which  is  given  it  in  this  course.  But  we  have 
some  non-Biblical  courses,  and  even  the  study  of  science  and 
secular  history  may  have  a  religious  significance.  The  Bible 
is  a  book  of  religion,  and,  besides,  it  is  a  book  which  cannot 
be  studied  in  the  public  schools.  So  special  study  should  be 
given  it  in  Sunday  Schools  and  churches. 

3.  Make  it  plain  that  a  thing  may  be  true  even  if  it  is  not 
in  the  Bible.  But  make  it  clear  also  that  the  Unitarian  beliefs 
have  strong  support  in  the  Bible.  The  teacher  will  find  other 
passages  and  texts  which  he  may  prefer  to  use.  There  is  a 
tract  published  by  the  American  Unitarian  Association  which 
gives  scriptural  references  for  various  beliefs.  But  show  dis- 
tinctly the  danger  in  the  use  of  texts.  It  is  well  said  that  any- 
thing can  be  proved  by  texts  in  the  Bible.     Slavery  was  thus 


41 

sanctioned.    It  all  depends  upon  what  texts  are  chosen  and 
how  they  are  interpreted. 

4.  It  is  often  said  that  we  must  take  all  the  Bible  or  none. 
It  is  said  to  be  all  truth  or  none.  But  we  choose  everywhere 
else,  and  have  the  right  to  do  so  here.  Then  even  with  the 
legends  there  is  often  truth  connected,  and  the  legendary 
accounts  are  interesting  and  valuable  as  representing  the 
thought  and  life  of  early  peoples.  We  may  get  help  from 
such  records  even  if  we  do  not  accept  them  as  facts.  To  Uni- 
tarians, however,  the  parts  of  the  Bible  do  vary  in  importance 
and  worth,  and  they  exercise  their  right  to  choose  what  appeals 
to  them. 

5.  For  Unitarians  it  does  not  interfere  with  the  worth  of 
the  Bible  to  revise  its  language  and  to  apply  the  methods  of 
criticism  to  it.  We  have  none  of  the  first  manuscripts  of  the 
Bible.  Even  if  the  Bible  was  all  true,  we  have  no  way  of 
getting  at  just  what  was  first  written. 

6.  For  the  idea  of  universal  revelation  read  Lowell's  poem 
"Bibliolatres." 

7.  See  Sunderland's  small  tract,  "  What  Unitarians  Believe," 
for  other  Biblical  references.  See  also  many  other  tracts  on 
the  Bible,  revelation,  etc. 

8.  Call  attention  to  the  year  of  study  of  the  Bible  as  litera- 
ture which  is  to  follow. 


Chapter  ZZX/7/.— Churches. 

1.  The  purpose  of  this  section  about  organization  is  to 
acquaint  the  pupil  with  the  working  forces.  He  should  be 
familiar  with  these  in  order  that  he  may  have  interest  in  them 
and  be  ready  to  take  his  place  as  a  worker  in  his  church  and 
denomination.  This  study  is  of  great  importance,  and  the 
course  would  not  be  complete  without  it. 

2.  In  this  chapter  the  main  thing  is  to  study  your  own 
church  and  to  lead  out  from  it  to  the  other  churches.  Who 
are  its  officers?  How  is  it  governed?  What  is  its  covenant 
or  bond?    How  does  one  become  a  member  of  it?    In  any 


42 

historic  church  the  study  of  the  home  church  should  be  thor- 
ough. Get  pictures  of  the  former  buildings.  But  in  any 
church,  even  the  newest,  the  history  ought  to  be  known  and 
the  management  understood. 

3.  The  list  of  churches  in  America  can  be  found  in  the 
Year  Book  of  the  American  Unitarian  Association.  This  gives 
names,  dates  of  founding,  and  other  information.  A  list  of 
Sunday  Schools  is  published  by  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School 
Society. 

4.  In  1 901  the  American  Unitarian  Association  published 
a  report  concerning  the  covenants  and  statements  of  faith  in 
Unitarian  churches.     This  will  be  valuable  for  the  teacher. 

5.  The  pupil  may  wonder  why  there  are  not  more  Uni- 
tarian churches.  Bring  out  the  reasons  they  can  give.  Lib- 
eral views  have  not  always  been  popular.  They  make  their 
way  slowly.  Then  other  churches  have  become  more  liberal 
than  they  once  were.  Unitarians  have  disliked  to  press  their 
beliefs  forward.  They  have  often  lacked  missionary  zeal. 
They  have  put  money  into  philanthropy  and  education.  But, 
where  there  has  been  organized  effort,  churches  have  been 
established  and  have  often  become  centers  of  good  influences. 
Show  that  we  ought  to  do  more  in  this  direction  to  spread 
our  faith. 

6.  Young  people  should  join  the  church  when  they  come 
to  the  age  of  decision.  Some  churches  plan  a  special  time 
for  receiving  members,  such  as  Easter.  A  class  for  prepara- 
tion for  membership  is  sometimes  conducted  by  the  minister. 

7.  Of  course  numbers  are  not  the  main  thing,  and  Unitarian 
churches  are  few  and  small  in  comparison  with  some  others. 
But  they  have  had  a  large  share  in  shaping  the  thought  and  life 
of  the  country. 


43 


Chapter  XZX/F.— General  Organizations. 

1.  A  teacher  who  is  familiar  with  the  things  noticed  in  this 
chapter  should  not  assume  that  the  young  people  are.  To 
bring  out  the  value  of  these  organizations  so  as  to  enlist  the 
interest  and  support  of  the  class  will  require  some  of  the 
teacher's  best  resources.  But  be  assured  that  it  is  worth 
while. 

2.  The  organizations  of  the  local  church  should  be  studied 
in  connection  with  the  general  organizations.  If  you  have 
no  such  organizations  in  your  church,  perhaps  some  useful 
one  may  start  from  the  class. 

3.  It  might  be  a  good  plan  in  some  places  to  ask  represen- 
tatives of  the  Alliance  and  some  other  societies  in  the  church 
to  come  into  the  class  and  explain  briefly  what  their  societies 
are  doing.  Or  the  members  of  the  class  might  secure  such 
information  by  interviewing  the  officers  of  the  societies. 

4.  In  the  different  sections  of  the  country  the  headquarters 
should  be  known  by  street  and  number  in  the  city.  Pictures 
of  the  Unitarian  Building  in  Boston  may  be  obtained  easily. 

5.  It  is  possible  that,  when  these  lessons  are  studied,  there 
may  be  some  new  societies  being  formed  and  new  movements 
started.  Keep  in  touch  with  these  things  and  let  the  young 
people  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  religious  world  around 
them.  Information  will  help  toward  loyalty  and  efficient 
service. 

6.  Organizations  are  necessary  in  order  to  carry  on  work 
well.  They  may  try  to  exercise  authority,  and  they  would 
then  ]je  a  danger  to  free  churches.  But  Unitarians  have 
suffered  from  too  little  rather  than  too  much  organization. 
We  must  have  organization  and  keep  a  free,  democratic  spirit, 
too. 

7.  The  reports  of  the  various  societies  mentioned,  the  news 
in  the  papers,  and  the  information  in  the  Unitarian  Year  Book 
will  be  about  all  the  sources  of  help  here.  It  may  be  inter- 
esting to  find  the  place  which  your  church  and  Sunday  School 
and  other  societies  hold  in  these  manuals  and  yearly  reports. 


44 


Possibly  there  may  be  some  meetings  which  the  teacher  may 
attend  to  gather  fresh  information  and  inspiration. 


Chapter  ZZZF.— Worship. 

1.  Young  people  should  be  led  to  recognize  the  nature  and 
value  of  worship.  They  should  become  acquainted  with  the 
forms  of  worship.  This  understanding  ought  to  help  some- 
what in  creating  the  proper  respect  for  the  places  and  forms 
of  worship.  It  will  be  unfortunate  if  the  young  people  of  our 
day  do  not  learn  how  to  conduct  themselves  properly  in  the 
times  of  worship. 

2.  It  is  hoped  that  such  a  respect  for  truth  will  have  been 
won  by  the  young  people  that  they  will  not  be  fascinated  by 
the  showy  forms  of  the  high  church  party.  Better  a  Quaker 
simplicity  and  a  Puritan  bareness  than  form  merely  because 
it  is  pleasant.  But  it  is  possible  to  have  an  attractive  form 
based  upon  what  is  true  both  in  substance  and  in  expression. 

3.  This  may  be  a  good  place  to  emphasize  the  worship  part 
of  the  Sunday  School.  This  part  should  have  most  respect- 
ful attention  from  teacher  and  class.  And  a  teacher  is  not 
fair  to  the  class  who  does  not  give  careful  heed  to  it. 

4.  Some  may  know  the  great  oratorios,  such  as  the  "Mes- 
siah," "Elijah,"  the  "Redemption."  Liberals  can  accept 
most  of  the  words,  especially  when  the  Bible  words  are  used. 
And,  when  the  words  cannot  be  accepted  in  such  places,  they 
may  be  used  for  the  sake  of  the  music.  It  is  not  meant  to  be 
doctrinal  in  such  cases,  and  the  sentiment  is  the  main  element. 

5.  Study  the  forms  of  service  in  your  own  and  neighbor- 
ing churches,  also  the  special  observances. 

6.  Catholic  and  Episcopal  churches  have  fixed  forms  of 
worship,  and  these  have  an  advantage  in  being  familiar  every- 
where. But  there  is  danger  of  their  becoming  empty.  Some- 
thing voluntary  gives  more  free  expression  to  one's  own  feel- 
ings.    The  uniformity  of  spirit  is  better  than  that  of  the  letter. 

7.  Possibly  the  marriage  and  funeral  services  may  need  to 
be  mentioned.     Most  Unitarian  ministers  use  their  own  forms 


45 

for  funerals.  The  basis  of  the  marriage  service  is  commonly 
the  old  English  service  found  in  the  Episcopal  Prayer  Book. 
This  is  changed  to  suit  the  tastes  of  those  who  use  it. 

8.  Look  in  the  hymn-books  for  the  hymns  mentioned  and 
for  other  hymns  by  Unitarians.  "Songs  and  Singers  of  the 
Liberal  Faith,"  by  A.  P.  Putnam,  is  an  American  collection, 
together  with  biographical  and  other  notes. 


Chapter  XXXF/.— The  Fruits. 

1.  Pupils  might  be  assigned  some  of  these  great  names  to 
find  out  about  and  report  upon.  It  is  impossible  here  to 
describe  all  of  them.  Information  will  be  found  in  American 
histories  and  in  encyclopaedias.  Some  of  these  men  and 
women  are  written  about  in  "Life  Studies"  and  in  "Noble 
Lives  and  Noble  Deeds,"  published  by  the  Unitarian  Sunday- 
School  Society. 

2.  It  is  not  in  a  spirit  of  pride  that  these  names  are  men- 
tioned. Young  people  should  know  in  whose  company  they 
are  when  they  are  Unitarians.  Then  Unitarianism  is  often 
spoken  against  and  it  is  well  to  have  some  such  persons  in 
mind  to  which  one  can  refer  as  representative  Unitarians. 
They  will  often  serve  better  than  any  argument. 

3.  Along  the  same  way  find  out  those  Unitarians  in  your 
own  State  or  region  who  have  been  eminent. 

4.  It  would  be  to  the  point  to  discuss  what  kind  of  a  char- 
acter the  Unitarian  faith  should  produce  and  what  advantages 
it  has  for  the  building  of  character.  Is  it  an  easy  or  a  diffi- 
cult faith  to  live  by  ?  What  kind  of  a  man  is  needed  specially 
for  public  sers'ice  to-day? 

5.  Numbers  are  not  arguments.  To  be  small  is  no  special 
merit.  That  other  churches  are  large  does  not  show  that  they 
are  right.  That  Unitarians  are  few  does  not  show  that  they 
are  right.  To  have  the  truth  and  then  to  make  it  reach  as 
many  as  possible  should  be  the  aim. 

6.  It  is  impossible  to  predict  just  what  will  be  the  religion 
of  the  future.     But  Unitarians  have  a  plain  duty  to  preserve 


46 

what  has  been  gained  at  such  heavy  cost  and  to  see  that  their 
principles  have  a  place  in  whatever  religion  or  church  there 
may  be. 

7.  For  use  in  this  chapter  Cooke's  "  Unitarianism  in  America  " 
will  be  most  valuable.  Lists  of  great  names  will  be  found 
in  the  back  part  of  the  tract,  "What  Unitarians  Believe," 
by  C.  W.  Wendte,  and  also  in  a  small  tract  with  the  same  title 
by  J.  T.  Sunderland.  On  the  general  value  of  the  church  in 
modern  life  the  teacher  may  read  profitably  Crooker's  "The 
Church  of  To-day,"  See  also  what  may  be  new  when  these 
subjects  are  being  studied,  and  refer  to  the  things  being  done 
that  are  new  and  promising. 


Date  Due 

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